Sexual assault victim speaking out, hoping other victims will feel the strength to come forward

A woman who was tied up threatened and sexually assaulted is sharing her story. She is confident there are others.

The survivor’s mother reached out to WINK News after watching our story on the man arrested for the assault.

The woman went through something that no person should ever go through. Something that no mother should have to see her daughter go through.

She is telling her story so that more women will come forward and ensure the accused attacker can’t do it again.

“I thought of all the ways he was going to kill me.”

You don’t have to see her face to feel her pain. You just have to listen

“And it hurt so bad I was screaming. I was screaming for my mom and my dad. I was screaming for help. I was screaming for the neighbors. I just knew I was like this is it. Because at that point why would someone let me go?”

The 30-year-old woman, who asked to be referred to as Josephine, still has fresh wounds.

Her sexual assault happened less than two weeks ago, but she chose to tell her story.

“If he’s that confident that I’m not going to say something to nobody, how many girls has he let go and didn’t say anything?”

Another survivor, just 17-years-old, told detectives she also endured months of assault by Douglas Skoczek.

She came forward after he was arrested because of Josephine’s statements.

“I am so proud of her, like thank you. And this sounds so selfish, but validation that I’m not lying, I didn’t make this up. But I am so sad that… I am 30, she is 17. She isn’t even legal. She’s a minor. She’s a baby.”

Josephine hopes that if other survivors hear her story, they’ll feel strong enough to come forward; because there is strength in numbers.

“In the long run, when you see justice happening, this monster of a person that has taken your life away from you and the people that love you and trust that you have and you see him being locked away where he should be. The more people that come out and tell their stories, the better chance we have for justice that he can never have the chance to do it again.”

The survivor says right now she is focusing on herself, focusing on healing and spending time with those who love her.

She said she knows it will take long for her to trust people, but she has faith she’ll get there as long as her accused attacker stays behind bars.

Skoczek is being held without bond.