48 Hours - Alisa Mathewson's Night Terrors

Episode Date: April 23, 2023

A woman is attacked in her sleep and kidnapped by her estranged husband. The dramatic story of her captivity and rescue. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits,

and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert

to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military. And when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. We wanted to be able to have this happy family like everybody else does. My name is Arden Summers and I am the daughter of Elisa and Trevor Summers. I was really hoping that my family would be back together and healthy and fixed.

Elisa Summers, she is a loving mother of five children. It's a tragic family story and they're breaking up and getting divorced. Trevor Summers wanted control. He controlled Elisa and he controlled his children. We later learned through our investigation that Trevor Summer is using his children to play against his wife. He was trying to persuade her not to get divorced. And he was going to talk her into it no matter how long it took. She went through hell and back all because of what my dad did. When Trevor Summers enters the home and Elisa Summers ultimately wakes up, that's when the violence occurs.

I am here with Elisa at her house, where I'm not supposed to be. And I woke Elisa up, and I have been holding her against her will. He used her cell phone to record a video making a statement about what occurred. I did tie her up to keep her from contacting the authorities and giving me enough time to get out of town. Eventually, he takes her out of the house, correct? Elisa agrees to go with him

because she knew that was the only way she was gonna be able to stay alive at that point. He goes to the Walgreens, she's in the car, and there is an employee at the Walgreens taking a smoke break. We received a 911 call from a witness at the Walgreens where Ms. Summers attempted to flee from the vehicle. Some chick just ran out of the dude's car. Looked like her hands were tied and she ran out of the car and screamed,

help me. And he just grabbed her and put her back in the car. So this is a potential kidnapping, but could be headed towards something far more serious, a potential homicide. That's certainly a possibility and something that's in the back of our heads. The 911 call occurs approximately 9 p.m. on Saturday. Then the following morning, myself and another detective are able to interview four of the five children. There was just a knock on the door and there's two tall men and asked, do you know where your parents are? And I said, no. They were talking about how they're doing this investigation and try to find my parents. And all I'm thinking is, oh my God, what happened?

The interview with the children, children was a very delicate situation. And he was hurting Mom. Well, how do you know he was hurting Mom? I heard it. She was screaming. Did he tie her arms up or feet or something else? He tied both of her arms and body. When the children are giving these details, it's just surreal.

It was... shocking. Thank you. Hot shot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty. Her specialty? Representing some of the city's most infamous gangland criminals. However, while Nicola held the underworld's darkest secrets, the most dangerous secret was her own. She's going to all the major groups within Melbourne's underworld, and she's informing on them all. I'm Marsha Clark, host of the new podcast, Informants Lawyer X. In my long career in criminal justice as a prosecutor and defense attorney, I've seen some crazy cases, and this one belongs right at the top of the list. She was addicted to the game she had created. She just didn't know how to stop.

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by both how spooky it was, but also how outrageous it was. Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, early and ad-free, with a 48 hours plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. this is the bedroom window that trevor summers was allowed into the home through sergeant christopher steel with the hillsborough county sheriff's office and who opened that window for him?

His eldest daughter would have been in the home unlocking and making it ready for him to enter. My dad had sat me down and discussed reconciling with my mom and fixing the marriage and bringing our family back together. Arden Summers was eager to help her father make her family whole again. Her parents, Elisa and Trevor Summers, had separated after 15 years of marriage, and there was a restraining order keeping them apart. Arden and her four siblings had been living with their dad. He wanted me, my younger siblings, to go over to my mom's house and spend the night, and then I would let my dad in the window after my siblings and my mom went to bed. Arden thought her dad could then talk her mom into getting back

together. But Trevor Summers' supposed attempt at reconciliation was actually an act of manipulation, using his children as pawns in a plot involving kidnapping, assault, and attempted murder that would go on for 55 hours. The clock was a digital clock, and it said exactly 3 a.m. I was startled, awake. Elisa Mathewson, formerly Elisa Summers, will never forget the disorienting fear that began in the early morning hours of March 11th, 2017.

She was awakened in her pitch black bedroom. Two of her children were lying beside her, 7-year-old Brynn and 5-year-old Grady. And I felt my face was wet and I started screaming, Who's in my room? What are you doing here? I'm in a panic, an absolute panic. Her estranged husband, Trevor, had entered her home in Valrico, Florida, dripping water on her head and was standing over her. And I'm still screaming, and he says, calm down, it's just me.

I just start, in full panic, throwing things from my end table at him. And he grabbed my ankles and pulled me off the end of the bed. This must be terrifying. It's terrifying. Brynn and Grady are running out of my room screaming, Daddy, Daddy, don't kill Mommy. But how did it come to this? me. But how did it come to this? The couple first met in 1995 in high school in suburban Philadelphia and started dating three years later. He was spontaneous and charming and just seemed that he always put me first. The couple married in 2001, eager to begin their life together. He wanted to start a family right away.

When I had Arden, it was everything I envisioned for my life. I envisioned myself being a stay-at-home mom. And then over the years, it was Arden times five. Arden, yes. You ended up with five kids, right? Yes. After Arden came Landon, Brynn, Grady, and Cooper. The more kids, it seemed that the more love, the more happiness.

I wanted to have this picture-perfect life. Aliza says Trevor initially started a landscape and pool design company, and he dabbled in real estate. But he really fancied himself as an entrepreneur. He would open up businesses for a little while, and then he would move on to a new business. The family moved several times, says Elisa, as Trevor chased opportunities.

From Pennsylvania to Florida, to Vegas, to California, and eventually back to the Sunshine State, where the children were homeschooled. We would very often host people, have sleepovers, friends over, birthday parties, all kinds of stuff. Arden, now 20, remembers good times. We would go to the beach. We had a beach fairly close to our house. Play video games as a family and board games, stuff like that. Arden says while she was close to her mother, she had

a special bond with her father. I was definitely in the definition of a daddy's girl. We would go out on little dates together, go out for dinners, just him and I. Meanwhile, Elisa says her relationship with Trevor was changing. With each move and birth of another child, she says her husband was slowly taking control of her life. I had to wear what he would select. I couldn't have men on my Facebook page. She couldn't even sit next to a man in church or anywhere. I couldn't ride in a car alone with a man. I was to have no communication with any men other than Trevor.

Elisa was also overhearing snippets of Trevor's business conversations. There were some things that just weren't adding up. Elisa says Trevor was frequently in financial trouble, not paying debts and bouncing checks. He was arrested several times, but she says he always blamed his problems on others, and the crisis would seem to pass. Every single time it would happen, it would be, it's a misunderstanding. He's having these incidents with the law. What are you thinking? Yeah, at the same time, I was walking on eggshells. Don't question him. Okay. And smile and nod.

Did he have a temper? As long as we stayed in his good graces, then it was fine. In 2016, Alisa finally had enough and asked for a divorce. Trevor begged her to stay, wanting to keep the family together. Alisa agreed, but she says Trevor's possessive behavior worsened. He took my cell phone. He took my car. but she says Trevor's possessive behavior worsened. He took my cell phone. He took my car. I was being held in my own home as like a prisoner.

It became very apparent that this is domestic violence. This is domestic abuse. I need to start working on my plan. She wanted to escape, but Trevor Summers had his own plans for Elisa. house in America has at least one game of Monopoly. Introducing the best idea yet, a brand new podcast from Wondery and T-Boy about the surprising origin stories of the products you're obsessed with and the bolder risk takers who brought them to life. Like, did you know that Super Mario, the best selling video game character of all time, only exists because Nintendo couldn't get the rights to Popeye? Or Jack, that the idea for the McDonald's Happy Meal first came from a mom in Guatemala? From Pez dispensers to Levi's 501s to Air Jordans,

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I had been just stuck staying in the house with him watching me. By October 2016, Elisa says she felt like an inmate in her own home, with her husband Trevor monitoring her every move. He was always with me for several weeks. Until one day, Trevor finally left to go to work. That's when Elisa called a domestic violence organization. And I said, you know, these are the things that are going on. My husband hasn't gone to work in weeks. This is the first time I've been alone.

And the more and more I asked them, and I talked to them about this, they said, your situation is very serious. But before Elisa could get out of the house that day, Trevor burst through the door. He came in and he attacked me. And he, every time I would try to get away from him, he'd block me from leaving. Elisa says that after some time, Trevor reluctantly agreed to let her leave with the children, and she sought refuge in the home of a friend. He was going crazy over this, and he found out where I was, and he would be showing up there.

After a week there, she felt safer moving with her children to a shelter for abused women, leaving everything behind. We had nothing. We had the clothes on our backs. Over the course of several months, Elisa started rebuilding her life. When I got out of the shelter, I got myself a home and a car and a job as well. She filed for divorce and even tried online dating. But Trevor was not out of her life as they shared custody of the children. I was forced to see him twice a week to exchange children with him. By January 2017, Alisa says Trevor seemed resigned to the fact their marriage was over.

And about a month later, Alisa says she agreed to go by Trevor's home to sign the divorce papers. So you're in the house. What happens? He said that he just needed to talk to me. He was like, I have to I have to get everything off of my chest so we can get divorced. I have to tell you I've had multiple affairs. I've really messed up. Trevor was also in serious legal trouble, facing real prison time. According to court records, he was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to wire fraud charges for one of his failed business ventures. His perfectly controlled life was quickly imploding. As I was leaving, he said, you're not going anywhere. With one hand holding me down, he used the other hand and pulled a knife and held it right up at

my chest by my throat. How long was the blade? It was a machete. And he's got this machete right under. Right at my neck. And he says, I won't tie you up if you just stay still and listen to me. And then he held me there for a few hours. Eventually, Alisa says, Trevor agreed to let her go after she calmed him down and promised not to call the police, a promise she did not keep. I immediately called 911 when I left his home. But when investigators interviewed Trevor, he denied threatening Elisa's life. The police didn't believe me. I wasn't left with any marks. There was no evidence of what I was saying. The sheriff's office treated it as a concern from the beginning. Hillsborough County Sheriff's Sergeant Christopher

Steele was not involved in responding to the 911 call, but says investigators were looking into the case. It's not like we could have simply arrested him that day based on the statements of just the two that were involved. We needed more. Both Elisa and Trevor filed for restraining orders against each other. And Elisa says Trevor used the incident to turn their children against her. He told the children, I lied to the police. She is trying to get me thrown in prison. He told them their mother was responsible for the marriage falling apart. He would constantly talk about how she was supposedly cheating on him.

He, you know, acted so heartbroken. What did you think of your mother? I felt like she was awful. Then, just two days later, Alisa arrived home to find the place vandalized. There was graffiti all over the walls. There was Kool-Aid poured on my bed. The Kool-Aid was his idea. The chalk and writing on the walls was my idea. What had you written on the walls?

I had written things like traitor. I wrote thanks for being an ass right above the bed. Alisa was incredulous when she learned Trevor had convinced Arden to take part. It was devastating. My kids had a key to my home and they used their key and did this. A few weeks later, Elisa got an unexpectedly cheery phone call from Arden. And Arden says, unexpectedly cheery phone call from Arden. And Arden says, Mom, we really miss you. I, I've just, I'm sorry. I've been thinking of you. I want to come over and just you and I talk things through, hang out like old times. Within days, Arden, Brynn, and Grady were back visiting Elisa while Cooper and Landon were at Trevor's house. I especially was feeling like Arden was starting to come around. Alisa says she and Arden had no idea.

They both were being manipulated by Trevor. He had mentioned before that he was really hoping to reconcile with her and to put the family back together and be almost like the savior of the family. The goal was something noble in a way that you were participating in that maybe they can get them back together and we can be a family again. Yes. So on the evening of March 10th, 2017, as Elisa was in bed with Brynn and Grady. Arden was in another room, secretly texting her father. Just checked she's fast asleep. Letting him know the coast was clear for him to enter Alisa's home. Just after midnight on March 11, 2017,

Trevor Summers left his three-year-old son Cooper home alone, asleep in bed, and drove with 12-year-old Landon to his estranged wife's house, where Arden was already waiting. He told me that he was going to talk to my mom. Following his instructions, Arden had left this window open for Trevor. They passed each other as she went out to wait in the car with Landon. That's when Elisa says she remembers waking up to water dripping on her face. At that point, it's full on terror. Elisa says Trevor dragged her to the living room. Grady and Brynn, the two young children who were in bed with her, woke up and screamed. He looks right at them and he says,

get back in your mother's room. Don't come out. Elisa says they struggled as she tried to escape. And I get my hand onto the door and he'd grab me and throw me backwards. Are you wondering where is Arden? Yes, I'm thinking Arden's going to hear this. Arden's going to call 911.

Like, where is she? Arden was sitting in the car, hopeful that her parents would come out after talking, and they would all return to Trevor's house together. But around 5 a.m., Trevor sent a text that the plan had changed. She walks in and doesn't even look at me. And that's when I realized she's not going to call 911. She wants him to be there. Arden says her dad told her to drive Landon, Brynn, and Grady back to his house and wait.

Then 14 years old, Arden's only driving experience had been in a parking lot. It was very terrifying. I was doing exactly the speed limit, and I just followed all the traffic laws to not get pulled over. Once the children were out of the house, that's when it even escalated further. further. He threw me onto my bed and took these scarves and wrapped me, my hands, my wrists together. He is tying me to the bed frame with the Christmas lights and crisscrossing them across my body to hold me down. That's when Trevor told her why he was there. I came to say goodbye. I am leaving. I've chartered a boat. I'm going out into international water and I'm going to disappear. Elisa says he claimed he had millions of dollars in offshore bank accounts. Elisa didn't believe any of it. She says she had a plan. Stay quiet and perhaps he would let her go.

I don't want to infuriate this man. Just sitting back, listening and letting him do the talking. She says over the course of several hours, Trevor raped her twice. Did he have any kind of a weapon on him? He did. A razor blade. Alisa says she felt drowsy because Trevor made her take cold medicine. He had been using NyQuil throughout the day to keep me sedated. Alisa says Trevor tied her ankles and wrists behind her with the scarves and a nylon rope. I was in excruciating pain. He used her thumb to unlock her cell phone and recorded those videos.

I am here with Alisa at her house. She's virtually unharmed. She's got a couple bruises today, but from tying her up. Alisa says Trevor told her he was making the videos so she could prove to authorities he was there before taking the boat trip. But Trevor didn't immediately leave. It was around 5.40 p.m. when he came back into the room. He put a pillow over my face, and he pushed down with all of his upper body. And I thought about my kids, and I lost consciousness. Moments later, Alisa says she remembers the pillow being removed.

Moments later, Alisa says she remembers the pillow being removed. And he looked at me, and I said, please, I'll do anything. Please don't kill me. He says, you agree to go with me? Yes, I'll go with you. To the boat, to the islands? Yes. Alisa says she still thought the boat story was a lie, but agreed to go with him to buy time. With her hands tied, Alisa says Trevor loaded her into her SUV.

Later, he went into that Walgreens to buy more cold medicine. It was the moment she'd been patiently waiting for. I pulled the door handle to open the door. And so I'm running and I'm stumbling through this parking lot. I could hear him coming at me and grab me. Did he lift you off the ground? Lifted me off to the ground and pushed me back, got me all the way back into the car. That's when that Walgreens employee called 911. Turned out of the car, screaming, help me. Trying to get the license. It's a dark, dark blue SUV.

He's falling out right now. The employee managed to get that license plate number. Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies realized it was Elise's vehicle and began a statewide search. As they sped into the night, Elisa says Trevor was irate. He's screaming at me. Oh, you agreed to go with me. Why are you doing this? We cut from over here all the way across over to here. He said that's for getting out of the car at the Walgreens. Alisa says Trevor spent hours driving along back roads down the Tampa Bay coast.

They stopped several times, including at a secluded rural area where they hid out for over a day. Here, he wrote letters detailing what he'd done, a confession, and this chilling farewell to their children. Elisa read an excerpt. We should have never gone down the road of divorce that tore our family apart. So we have ended it for your sake, and we'll be watching you from heaven. Elisa says Trevor raped her two more times. I just need to stay alive. I just need to stay alive. On the morning of March 13th, Trevor drove to Little Harbor, a resort area where they used to go as a family.

Alisa says Trevor pulled the SUV over, parked right behind a dumpster, and climbed into the back seat. And a rope came over my head and came around my neck. Is there any doubt in your mind what he's attempting to do at that moment? No, he is. He is killing me behind a dumpster. Suddenly, he's behind me and he lets go and he dove through the car, jumped into the driver's seat and took off. Trevor believed he'd been spotted. There's no talking. He is laser focused and he is driving. Panicked, he pulled into this carport.

He pulls out the razor blade and he starts slitting his throat. I'm screaming at him to stop. And at this point, then the police come up around, guns drawn, screaming. Elisa remembers an officer helping her. He puts me right into the front seat and he gets in and he takes off, goes down this road. Just takes off and boom, you're out of here. That fast. Suddenly I'm saved. I've been pulled from hell. Following Elisa's rescue, investigators took these photographs.

While still receiving medical attention, Elisa told her story. My hands were behind my back and he slipped my wrist and I just kept begging and begging, please don't kill me, please don't kill me. Trevor Summers also spoke to investigators from his hospital bed where his wounds were stitched up. Law enforcement says it amounted to a confession. What did you tie her up with? Just some rope, nylon rope. I grabbed a pillow and put it over her face. But bizarrely, Trevor also claimed Elisa voluntarily went along with him. And she willingly let me tie her up.

Trevor was later charged with 11 counts, including attempted murder, kidnapping, sexual battery, and child neglect. Trevor pleaded not guilty, but Elise's ordeal was far from over. She would come face to face with Trevor yet again at his trial. Learn more about Elise's 55-hour ordeal at 48hours.com. I'm not afraid of him anymore. And I'm going to say, this is what happened and this is what you did.

By 2022, five years had passed since Trevor Summers' arrest on charges including attempted murder, kidnapping and sexual battery. During that time, the couple's divorce was finalized. Now, after legal and COVID-related delays, a jury would decide if Trevor's mission had been to kill Elisa or to reconcile with her. There was no murderous intent. It stopped. Otherwise, she would be dead. Anthony Marchese, Trevor Summers' court-appointed attorney, says his client believes he did nothing illegal. So in his mind, he could see consent. He would think that he could show everyone that no crime was committed. Even though she's tied up, even though there's been alleged physical violence, he still believed that the sex they had was consensual?

Yes. I mean, in his mind, if there's tying up or other things happened, those were temporary. Then from there, she would consent. I've never had a client like Mr. Summers. He was always a gentleman, always very polite and very intelligent, but he doesn't understand the distinction between consent and acquiescence. Marchese was the latest of seven different lawyers who had been on and off the case. Trevor Summers' plan was always to take Elisa and to harm her that night. Jennifer Johnson and Jessica O'Connor,

prosecutors with the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office, built the case against Trevor Summers. The strongest evidence that we have was the post-Morinda statement. I grabbed the pillow and put it over her face. The handwritten confession, as well as the videotaped confession. And I woke Lisa up, and I have been holding her against her will. Those pieces of evidence would play a crucial role as Trevor Summers' trial began in August 2022. Elisa Summers thought she was living out the last few days of her life. She believed that the defendant, Trevor Summers, was going to kill her.

The testimony from Mrs. Summers will be that she was tied up, that she had no alternative. But there's some inconsistencies. This case, in many ways, rests on your shoulders, your ability to deliver. So as you take the stand, what's going through your mind? Oh, gosh, what's going through my mind was just tell them what happened. Use the Christmas lights to tie me to the bed rails and use the vacuum cord to go underneath the mattress. Over the course of several hours, the prosecution questioned Alisa regarding Trevor's actions. At one point, being hogtied, the pain was so incredible. He pushed down the pillow on my face.

The prosecutors anticipated the defense would question if Alisa was raped or consented to having sex. So they raised it first, with Alisa detailing the alleged assaults. He started to remove my bottoms and proceeded to have sex with me. Did you tell him no? No. Why is it that you did not tell him no or fight back? Because I didn't want to get hurt. You finish your testimony testimony and now it's

time for the defense attorney to cross-examine you. What happens? So we're taking a break to then do cross-examination and Mr. Marchese stands up and gets the judge's attention. Marchese informed Judge Christopher Sabella that he had just been fired. His replacement to now cross-examine Elisa would be the man on trial for attempting to kill her, Trevor Summers himself. The man you believe kidnapped you and on at least two occasions attempted to murder you is now going to do what? Stand in front of me and ask me questions. That was his way to manipulate and to abuse her again, to represent himself. Defense attorney Marchese was permitted to remain as standby counsel, but he was not permitted to speak with Trevor while court was

in session. Elise's questioning by her ex-husband, her alleged tormentor, went on for more than four hours. Much of it focused on the issue of consent. Did I threaten you or force you to have sex with me? At times, Elisa refused to look at Trevor, focusing instead on the jury and objects in the courtroom. I was in my head starting off. Him standing in front of me and questioning me about the things he did to me. How is this? How is this possible?

And then as it went on, my confidence built. You did tie me up. You did attack me and you did break into my home when I was sleeping. You raped me. So you're calling it rape? It is. That is the definition of rape, to come into someone's home and attack them and tie them up and then have sex with them. That is the definition of rape. That was probably the most powerful incident, situation the entire trial. Trevor also questioned some of his own children, not shown on camera, about the events that night. Brynn, 13 years old at the time of trial.

Do you remember, Ms. Brynn, if I was yelling anything back at Mommy? No. And Arden, 19, at the trial. Arden, did you ever see us physically fighting in the home when you came in? Not physically, no. Sergeant Edward Remia was asked about that hospital interview he conducted with Trevor after he was treated for the self-inflicted knife wound. Summers argued that despite seeming coherent and agreeing to be interviewed, he was

not in stable enough condition to have been questioned. Did you see me before the surgery? I'm not aware that you had any surgery. Did you notice a large cut and stitches and bandages on my neck? Correct. Again, I think we're probably going to differ on our definition of getting stitches and surgery. Now the man that you interviewed is cross-examining you. Had you ever had that happen in your career before? I've never had that happen before. Never? Never. It just poses a unique set of circumstances. When he's interviewing his own children, when he's interviewing his

ex-wife, what's his goal? Is this his last-ditch effort to cause any mental anguish that he can possibly do, or is it his last-ditch attempt to show everybody that everything was okay, that I was in control of the whole situation, and that I'm not guilty of a crime.

After three days of testimony in Trevor Summers' trial, closing arguments began. What this comes down to is a scorned lover. The defendant was not willing to come to grips with his divorce. Trevor had decided not to testify. Now his life was in his own hands, as he would have to counter the prosecution's claims. We spent a lot of time that weekend just talking, just trying to figure things out. I'm in a confused state of mind. We're going through a divorce. We don't know what's going on. Trevor tried to cast doubt that he was violent with Elisa in her home. There was not broken glass or dents in walls.

There was not scratches on countertops or blood splatter. And he questioned the legitimacy of that interview he gave to police at the hospital. If you were in that position, you would feel vulnerable. You would feel taken advantage of. I was captive and possibly coerced trevor also disputed elise's description of being tied up and held against her will at the walgreens parking lot how do you get out of a car your hands tied behind your back. In the prosecution's rebuttal, Jennifer Johnson returned to the video Trevor had recorded. I spent a lot of time with mom

last few hours. And the thing that she's, the things that she's told you about me being good at manipulation and control and lying is true. Tying her up. That is Trevor Summers in a nutshell. Manipulative, lying, controlling. It was now up to the jury to decide Trevor Summers' fate. And about five hours later, they had. The verdict is read. Tell us what you heard. And it was just guilty. All the way across.

All 11 charges, a guilty. It's emotional. By Elisa's side to support her was Jeff Mathewson, whom Elisa had met shortly before the 2017 attack. I just had my hand on his shoulder and I was holding his hand. Throughout it all, Jeff stood by Elisa, and they stood up together getting married in 2018. I think Elisa knows as long as I'm around her, she's safe, and I will protect her with my life and the kids. Another step toward protecting the family would come

about a month after the verdict at sentencing. I suffered horrific pain during the 55-hour ordeal. Elisa spoke about the impact of Trevor's actions and did several of their children, including Arden, who had been manipulated by her father into letting him into the house that night. For five and a half years, I've struggled with what happened to my family, especially for the part I took in it. We asked Arden to read from her victim impact statement. While no one else blamed me for what happened, I did. The guilt, all misplaced, has caused Arden profound pain. I've had so many issues with trusting people after what happened

and just the guilt that I lived with for so long before I finally told myself that this isn't my fault. But most of my teenage years, I spent just absolutely traumatized because of him. Arden's trauma was not lost on the judge, who addressed her directly as he prepared to give his sentence. To Arden, you should not feel guilty for anything that you did in this case. I assure you of that. Judge Sabella's address to Trevor Summers had quite a different tone. The testimony and evidence that I heard clearly make you a monster in every stretch of the imagination. Mr. Trevor Summers will spend the

rest of his life in Florida State Prison. The judge sentenced him to three life sentences and then followed by 224 years of prison. And what a sentence. I've never heard of a sentence of that length of you. I have not. My focus when that sentence came over were the kids and my focus was moving forward with them. We got it. We got it. The family, once so broken, is whole again. The healing, says Elisa, is a process and ongoing. We've already come so far. Elisa now hopes to raise awareness of domestic abuse, sharing her experience and recovery with other

victims. And she works full-time as an insurance agent. What she does not do is dwell on Trevor Summers. I've been dealing with him since I was 19 years old. That man means nothing to me, and I'm moving forward with my life. We have the life more than I've ever envisioned us to have now. We're on the road to kids' happiness. Yeah! A healed family. This is a happy ending. This is a happy story. Oh, there we go. He wasn't there.

Convicted of murder. This man has spent 28 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. And no judge has given me a chance to be heard. A surprising twist. Can prosecutors finally win his freedom? 48 Hours, Saturday on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.