Cape Coral sexual assault victim hopeful she can move forward

A woman is bravely coming forward to describe how a man brutally raped her. She says she’s doing it to make sure other victims of Douglas Skoczek know they are not alone and have the strength to come forward.

What this woman says she survived is chilling.

Through tears she said, “he kept just suffocating me and strangling me and hitting me and spitting me, he’d hold my eyes open and spit in them.”

First the beating. Then the rape. That torture began about two weeks ago when she said she went to Douglas Skoczek’s Cape Coral house.

“I drove myself right into the devil’s arms,” she said.

The victim asked that we call her Josephine.

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Her mother, who reached out to WINK News, said her daughter always tried to see the rainbows in things. She said she is pained that someone would take that away from her daughter.

“She’s a character. She’s a free spirit. She’s like a butterfly. There’s that certain innocence and I don’t see how you can ever have that again. And now the fears have presented themself to be real and frightening and devastating,” said the victim’s mother.

Her mission is to find a way to help her daughter heal. “You can’t ever erase it. You can’t ever forget it. But I’d like to see her move forward and not live in fear all the time.”

Josephine said, “I think spending as much time in the sunshine and swimming and spending time with my family. My family is the most important thing to me they’re all that matter.”

Josephine lost so much, but not everything. Not her family, not the things that make her happy.

She told WINK News she believes joy is still possible as long as Skoczek remains behind bars.

“He did not take those things away from me. No one can take those things away from me,” said Josephine.