Woman prevents rape in her own bed

[Dana Sheets]

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/Good ... woman.html

Wakened by an Attacker
Woman Tells Story of Being Attacked
While She Was Sleeping


Aug. 19 — It has to be every person's worst nightmare — waking up from a deep sleep to find a stranger standing over you.

But it really happened to an Albuquerque woman who overpowered and killed a convicted rapist after he broke into her home, climbed into her bed and held a gun to her chest.

The woman, who wishes to be identified only as "Mira," is a single mom and bookkeeper in her early 30s who said she acted only on instinct, and was driven by the desire to survive.

She told Good Morning America that she was home alone and was asleep in her bedroom about 1:30 a.m. on July 20 when she woke to find a flashlight pointed toward her face and a masked man straddling her in bed.

"After going to sleep, I was in the dead of sleep, I woke up with a man on top of me," Mira said on GMA. I immediately just had the reaction to get him off of me at that point he told me he had a gun and I felt it against my left chest. He was restraining me with both of his hands and the gun was across my chest and I just took my left hand and I started just pushing it away from me."

Mira started trying to push him off with her hands and feet, using some martial arts and self-defense techniques that she had learned years before.

"Do you want to die?" he asked.

At that point, something snapped and she sprung into action, Mira said. In what she described as something like "a dream state," she wrestled the .38-caliber revolver away from her 170-pound attacker and and rolled him onto the floor. She fired three shots at the man, striking him twice in the upper torso.

Convicted Sex Offender

The woman and police learned later that the man was 51-year-old Michael Magirl of Albuquerque, a convicted sex offender. Almost 20 years ago he was convicted of 33 burglaries in Clovis, N.M., where he raped a female Air Force captain while her children slept in an adjacent room. He only served half of a 31-year sentence.

Police say Magirl's car was parked about two blocks from the woman's home, and he had "rapist tools" with him, including a flashlight, gloves, and duct tape. Officers seized a backpack, a pillowcase and binoculars from the car.

Mira had just bought a home in Albuquerque, and was in the process of moving on the night it happened.

There had been a lot of workers in and out of the one-story house earlier that day, as she was in the process of moving in. She climbed into bed around 11:30 p.m. that night, after checking each door and window to make sure that they were locked. Police say that Magirl appeared to have forced his way into Mira's home through a sliding glass door, where pry marks were found.

After Mira fired the gun, she thought she had only injured Magirl. She pulled off his pantyhose mask, so she would be able to identify him, before running to a neighbor's house to call police.

Magirl died at the scene, and police have classified his death as a justifiable homicide. Police are now investigating Magirl in connection with other unsolved attacks in Albuquerque.

[Van Canna]

Good for her. The fear animal arose in her like De Becker writes in his book and rescued her.

I investigated a similar case in Boston where this single woman [ a Greta Garbo double] awakened in her bed in the middle of the night with a man holding a knife to her throat.

Unfortunately she was raped as she froze in fear.

This rapist's name was "MAGIRL" ? How ironic. Well at least now he is dead.

[Dana Sheets]

If only the fear animal had a cousin called the "almost fear" animal.

It would awaken when a woman's situation goes from safe to not so safe so that she could start to take steps to correct it.

But sadly, most women are taught to ignore that animal...and eventually it falls fast asleep.

My teacher is going to train several of us in doing self-defense seminars and women's self-defense seminars as a way to raise money for the Women's Friendship Tour. He's very excited to be able to teach us - that way we'll have an "all woman" environment where some women may feel more comfortable exploring their abilities to defend themselves. We hope to start conducting them in September.

Dana

[CJG]

Dana, as a novice observation: maybe teaching women to defend themselves in an environment catered toward making them more comfortable does not ultimately do them good - i.e. 'all women' self-defense class. Perhaps being in the middle of situations and having to function effectively without any 'outs' is what women should be learning. Most attackers on women will be men and perhaps they can turn their feelings around to develop more familiarity with actually confronting men. Just mentioning it because I've benefited from actually hitting men in my training

[Bill Glasheen]

Good point, CJG.

I might offer that Dana is an exceptional martial artist. Note that I did't use the "w" word to qualify that statement. You need to see Dana in the flesh to understand what I'm talking about; there are few in her league. As such, she makes for a pretty incredible role model for any martial artist of any gender. We have far too few of those...

Dana

I'd like to volunteer that Rich has done a bang-up job putting a fairly broad program together here. We don't like to use the "sd" label for liability reasons. But his program is fairly broadly based, and doesn't rely on empty-handed skills. Lots and lots of really good research and effort put into his material, and it's as contemporary as any you'll find. You may want to link up with him (us) to see what can be shared - particularly since we're so close. And while you touch base, we can steal some of your time.

Nice of me to volunteer Rich like that, no? But I know for a fact that he could benefit from you in a few ways...

- Bill

[Dana Sheets]

CGJ - good point. (sorry, I forgot your first name)

I've actually found that I can pretty easily intimidate many women physically even though I'm very small and female. With a loud voice, profanity, and controlling intent I've been able to bring women in my classes to the standing fetal position and frozen in fear.

So there's big steps and baby steps. FAST defense type training offers big steps. but not every woman is ready to put herself in that environment. Sometimes we need to offer smaller steps to those who are just starting to walk the path.

So yes - ultimately many women need to face their fears head on. But some have such anxiety that going to one with all women may be the only one they attend. And something is better than nothing.

we're going to train as many black belts (male and female) in the school who are interested as trainers. We don't plan to only offer "women only classes" but we do plan to make it an item on the menu.


Bill -
Thanks for offering Rich!!! It sounds great. This month is truly crazy for me but let's talk dates and times and see what we can come up with. I've also asked Rik if I can drop by and visit him at his school too. Can you believe I've never been?

And stop buildling me up that way!!! Sheessh. People are going to think I walk on water soon. I put my gi pants on one leg at a time like everyone else.

And thank you for the compliment.

[kyushoguy]

Hi,

It's such a difficult post this.

in my 20 years plus in MA I worry about women in MA's or Self Defence.

In any MA class I've been in the guys take it easy on the women because of size strength and socialization deficits, does that make sense?

But the women are not told of this. So they think they can compete in the street on equal terms.

This worries me.

OK for confidence levels and taking into account that most people don't get attacked this is ok. But what about when they do?

My nightmare is that the women will square up to the guy as they are taught in the dojo.

I've trained with higher grade women in my time and larger built women but the stregnth difference is always great enough for me to be more concerned about her safety than my own.

Don't get me wrong women can defend themselves and easily so but it not gonna happen competing with guys punching power or strength levels.

KG

[LeeDarrow]

Hi,

It's such a difficult post this.

in my 20 years plus in MA I worry about women in MA's or Self Defence.

In any MA class I've been in the guys take it easy on the women because of size strength and socialization deficits, does that make sense?

But the women are not told of this. So they think they can compete in the street on equal terms.

This worries me.

OK for confidence levels and taking into account that most people don't get attacked this is ok. But what about when they do?

My nightmare is that the women will square up to the guy as they are taught in the dojo.

I've trained with higher grade women in my time and larger built women but the stregnth difference is always great enough for me to be more concerned about her safety than my own.

Don't get me wrong women can defend themselves and easily so but it not gonna happen competing with guys punching power or strength levels.

KG

KG-sama,

While I hung my Obi on the wall years ago (bad knees and a bone spur on the hip joint), such was not the case in any dojo I trained in in my almost 30 years in the field. Perhaps they were lucky (or my Sensei was ahead of his time, who knows?).

In several dojo, the men were positively told to go harder on the female members as they would be dealing with opponents who would not let up and would push them just as hard.

It was termed "preparedness training" by my Sensei (may he rest in peace).

It's often a shock to a male attacker for a woman to take a solid shot to the stomach and GRIN at him - believe me! And, in that moment of shock, the woman has the upper hand for response.

Of course, the best route is not to get hit at all, but we all know that's just not going to happen.

Kind regards,

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.
http://www.leedarrow.com

[kyushoguy]

Hi Lee


You went harder on the women in your dojo's? So the women in the dojo's you trained in were tougher than the guys?

That's certainly not my experience in dojo's and obviously in life or else rape would be athing of the past.


KG

[uechiwoman]

I have worked with men who will clock me in the chest or face if I miss a block and I have worked with men who will not even punch directly at me. I feel that a workout partner who does not show me where my errors are is not doing me any favors.

Brute strength wise of course many men are stronger than women. This is where technique and speed comes into play. I have learned to move out of the way and/or block faster because I knew the consequences of ineffective action.

-Heather

[Le Haggard]

You went harder on the women in your dojo's? So the women in the dojo's you trained in were tougher than the guys?

That's certainly not my experience in dojo's and obviously in life or else rape would be athing of the past.

I personally don't see what "toughness" has to do with whether or not someone is sexually assaulted. I find it offensive to imply, directly or indirectly, that women are raped because we are not "tough" enough.

I can pretty much guarantee that I've survived more real life than 90+% of martial artists have ever had to face or will have to face. In that sense, I can say that I'm a very "strong" and "tough" person. It has nothing to do with bodily strength but strength of character, intelligence, resiliance, and will to survive. That women can survive rape shows how strong and "tough" we are.

It is the rapists that cause rapes. Not the women being "tough" or not. Remember, men get raped too. This attitude of saying that if only women were "tough" enough, rapes wouldn't happen is another form of blaming the victim for the violence of the rapist.

Le'

[IJ]

It's definitely a fine line that we walk, but I think it's possible to talk about the physical disadvantage a woman faces on average in a random statistical sense--and the near guarantee that an attacker will choose to attack when he has physical or at least emotional power over an internded victim--without implying that the size differential or toughness (that does impact how a fight goes) has any impact on blame.

[Sochin]

Ian,

nicely written,

consider it stolen!

[kyushoguy]

I have worked with men who will clock me in the chest or face if I miss a block and I have worked with men who will not even punch directly at me. I feel that a workout partner who does not show me where my errors are is not doing me any favors.

Brute strength wise of course many men are stronger than women. This is where technique and speed comes into play. I have learned to move out of the way and/or block faster because I knew the consequences of ineffective action.

-Heather

Hi

Sorry no offence was intended.

And I did not imply or mean to imply women were in any way to blame for Rape by men. I'm actually offended by that suggestion.

I don't actually see how you saw tha in my post?

i think Ian said it right, if i'm understanding him correctly.

An attacker looks for a weaker opponent if possible.

And most females are of a smaller build and have less muscle mass than guys.

As I said in my earlier post I know women can survive attacks.
I was suggesting the old block and punch and trying to out do the bigger opponent in punching and kicking ain't a good way IMVHO and experience.

I actually do not know any stret wise Martial Artist who does not laugh at the idea of blocks working in reality. The idea you think can block a bigger attacker in reality worries me.

I know women and about women who fall foul of an attacker because of false belief I also know a lot of guys who fall foul of this. i.e. I'm a black belt I can defend myself against a big street thug.

This thinking is dangerous in my experience.

I mean no offence by my post and hope it makes some sense.


I sincerely hope no one has to use their MA in a real situation, but lets not delude our selves a Black Belt helps.


KG

[Bill Glasheen]

KG

We've got some real knuckle draggers on this page. A guy has to watch himself...

It's difficult talking about some of these subjects for many reasons. But that's no reason why we shouldn't throw ideas out - however ill-informed - and learn from the discussion.

LeAnn makes a good point, and it gets to the "size" issue. A small/weaker guy is a high risk candidate for rape in a prison. And he would hardly be "asking for it." Men are commonly victims of rape too - particularly statutory rape. But they don't have the cahones to talk about it in public. Tough stuff...

- Bill