A Salem, Massachusetts, woman who was nearly killed during a savage attack by a man with alleged ties to a jail house gang is out of the hospital and speaking out.
Sarah Turner is now permanently blind in one eye, will be out of work for possibly the next year, and is dealing with mounting medical bills.
“I’ll never have the vision in my left eye back,” Turner said. “I could have died. If I didn’t fight back, I could have died.”
Turner said there are days when she wonders why she was brutally attacked.
“I really don’t know. I have like flashes of memory,” she said. “I’m still going to the doctor every day. My jaw is still wired shut. I still have more surgeries:”
The 28-year-old says she wants to recover and face the man who allegedly did this to her.
“He needs to be put away,” Turner said. “This could have happened to anybody.”
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Authorities say Peter Turco, 39, walked into her apartment last month and went on a savage rampage.
“It was determined by a doctor that there was some type of edged weapon that this defendant used in this assault,” said the prosecutor.
Turco was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, mayhem and home invasion. He is being held without bail. The motive still remains unclear since Turner barely knew him. But police said Turco may have been sent by her ex-boyfriend who met him through the “Crazy White Boys” jail house gang. Turco was just released from the jail before this attack.
Before she was attacked, Turner worked as a house keeper at an assisted living facility in Salem where the elderly residents said she is like family.
“We will be there for her in any way that we can,” said one woman at the facility. “She will always have a job here.”
While turner was in the hospital, more than 100 people came out for a fundraiser with #SalemStandsWithSarah.
Turner’s sister Shannon has been helping during the recovery while the community continues to come together to bring healing and the strength to move forward.
“Thank you, for all the support,” Turner said.
Meanwhile, Turco's next court date is August 17. A grand jury will consider indicting him on more serious charges.
Anyone wishing to contribute to Turner’s medical bills can do so on the gofundme page that her family set up for her. The Facebook page to support her can be found here.
