Survivor helps heal through music after partner's murder

The attacker, standing naked over their bed armed with a butcher knife, rapes and cuts Jennifer Hopper and Teresa Butz for almost two hours.

"I remember just being like 'You know I love you, I love you, I love you, you have to fight, fight, fight," said Hopper.

And fight she did. Even though Teresa was stabbed in the heart, she managed to shatter a bedroom window with a night stand.

Jennifer runs away just as Teresa dives through the window, landing on a bed of jagged glass and running for her life. She didn't get very far, and died alone on the street.

The naked attacker, Isaiah Kalebu, grabs his clothes and runs away. But he left behind a trail of evidence, including bloody finger- and footprints.

Police arrested Kalebu after a bus driver recognized him from surveillance video.

At the trial, Jennifer Hopper bravely testified in court about the gruesome attack that changed the course of her life forever.

"It was the first time in nearly 20 years that I had an intended homicide victim survive and actually come to court and testify about what happened," said King County prosecuting attorney James Konat.

Konat says Hopper's heart-wrenching testimony had the court reporter, the bailiff, the entire room in tears.

"All of it made for what I can only describe as the most riveting testimony I'd ever seen," said Konat.

Kalebu was bound and shackled and wheeled into court.

"Mr. Kalebu, do you know anything about events that occurred in early morning hours of July 19, 2009, at 717 South Rose Street?" the judge asked the defendant.

"I was told by my God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to attack my enemies, and I did so," said Kalebu.

Astoundingly, Hopper says she's forgiven Kalebu. While addressing him in court, she said: "I wish you no harm. I don't seek revenge. I wish you peace every last day of your life."

Hopper's testimony captivated author Eli Sanders, inspiring him to write a magazine story called "The Bravest Woman in Seattle," winning him the Pulitzer Prize.

Now he's written a new book called While the City Slept about the three people whose lives intersected that ominous night.

Jennifer Hopper is now advocating for survivors, speaking about her ordeal in public forums, an act which she says helps heal the profound loss of the love of her life.

"I still have moments where I'm stopped dead in my tracks and I can barely breathe," said Hopper. "And there's something about just speaking out has just healed me."

Hopper says she's committed to keeping the memory of her beloved alive, so she and Teresa Butz's friends and family formed The Angel Band Project, a non-profit that uses the power of music to help the victims of sexual violence heal.

Hopper says the scars on her neck sometimes sting when she's singing, a reminder of how lucky she is to be alive.