A judge sentenced a former military intelligence officer to more than 13 years in prison after kidnapping his estranged wife, stabbing her and burying her alive in the woods in Washington state.
Chae An pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder charges for the horrific 2022 crime.
The victim addressed the court during sentencing to tell the judge about the hell she endured.
"With courage, I must tell my story," she said.
Thurston County prosecutors credited her with saving her own life as she remained silent and still for hours after being buried alive.
She then managed to escape and ran as far as she could to get help.
Lacey Police were dispatched to a home on Oct. 16, 2022, to investigate a violent kidnapping.
Dispatch advised officers that they could hear muffled screaming and sounds of a struggle. It was later discovered that the victim had secretly dialed a call from her Apple watch.
Police found the home empty. The couples' children arrived a short time later and told officers their mother and father were at the home when they left to go to the store about a half an hour earlier.
The victim had a domestic violence protection order against her estranged husband. A video from a security camera showed An pulling his van into the garage, shutting the door briefly and then leaving just before officers arrived.
He had tied the victim's arms, legs, eyes and mouth and pulled her into the van.
About 1 a.m. the next day a resident in another area of the county was awakened by someone pounding on their door asking for help.
It was the victim who told them about her ordeal and Thurston County Deputies responded.
"My husband is trying to kill me," the woman told officers, KCPQ-TV reported. "Help me."
She explained how Chae had kidnapped her, dragged her into the woods, stabbed her and buried her in a 65-inch-long hole. with dirt and a tree on top of her, Law and Crime reported.
She was finally able to escape the hole and walked about a half-hour out of the woods.
Later that morning, someone walking on a trail found An's vehicle parked. Police responded and took him into custody.
His defense attorney claimed An had struggled with mental illness, specifically PTSD, from his time in the military, KING-TV reported.
"We hope that the conclusion of this case will allow the victim the time and space to focus on healing from this event," the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said in a post-sentencing Facebook post.
