Single mom knocked out in Cincinnati mob opens up about pain and panic attacks: 'I should be dead'
'I don't even know how I'm not dead,' the local woman, identified only as Holly, said in a tearful interview Tuesday about being sucker punched in the brutal, now-viral caught-on-camera attack.
'I should be dead. And so many doctors have been like, you should be dead,' she said on C-SPAN's 'The Benny Show.'
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The battered mother said she suffered brain trauma and still has a black eye and bruises on her face as she described the harrowing emotional aftermath of the July 26 beating.
5 The beating victim, identified only as Holly, said she believes she 'should be dead.'
via Benny Johnson
'I haven't slept in days. The last time I slept is when I went to the hospital for the second time when my throat was closing up and I literally couldn't breathe,' she said, breaking down in tears.
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5 Holly said she has suffered from pain and panic attacks following the beating.
Benny Johnson Show/YouTube
She said she's been pummeled by traumatic thoughts as she recovers from the injuries.
'What would my children's life be like right now if my soul hadn't stayed in my body?' she asked. 'I'm not OK.'
'What would have happened if I died… I can't shake it,' she said. 'It's gonna be with me for a real long time.'
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5 Holly was sucker punched in the back of the head during the mob attack.
Holly first spoke out Sunday, saying she has been in and out of the hospital for the past 10 days and has been hiding out after getting death threats.
She told the Cincinnati Enquirer she was out on the town when she met some of the men involved in the fight.
'I met those guys that night while celebrating my friend's birthday,' Holly said. 'We weren't out to get into a fight. We were waiting on our Uber outside, and that's when it all started.'
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5 The battered mother, who said she suffered brain trauma, still had a black eye and bruises on her face as she described the emotional aftermath of the beating.
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Video of the brawl shows a group of men surrounding Holly and an unidentified man.
One of the alleged assailants, Montianez Merriweather, 34, has claimed he was called racial slurs and spat at before the violence broke out.
The two victims were punched and stomped on as they cowered on the ground, with blood pouring from Holly's mouth.
5 Holly said she suffered from a brain injury during the attack.
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The motive for the attack remained unclear and she didn't address what led to it during her latest interview.
Merriweather, Jermaine Matthews, 39, and Dekyra Vernon, 24 — believed to be the woman who sucker-punched Holly in the back of the head— were arrested and charged with felonious assault, assault and aggravated riot.
Dominique Kittle, 37, was later arrested around 6:20 p.m. Friday, nearly a week after he allegedly pummeled Holly.
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