After Pearl escaped her husband’s vicious abuse, Pisgah Legal Services helped her obtain a protective order, divorce and custody of her infant son as she began to rebuild her life.
“I Would Not Have Gotten the Same Outcome”: Legal Aid Helps Survivor Find Security in Next Steps
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Content Warning: This story includes an account of domestic violence.
For more than six weeks, Pearl’s husband kept her and their infant son captive while he abused drugs and beat her daily.
A “prepper,” he had stockpiled food and weapons, and they had little to no contact with the outside world. Pearl’s car keys and phone were taken from her, and she wasn’t even allowed to take the baby outside for walks. Her husband was convinced that she was being unfaithful to him with people he imagined living in the woods around their house.
“He would tell me all the ways that he was going to kill me and how to get away with it,” she remembered. “He liked to tell me all the details of how he was going to do it.”
On their son’s first birthday, he told Pearl that he had decided to blame her death on “the people in the woods.” Laying the groundwork for his story, he forced her to call 911 and report that there were people outside their home. He didn’t count on police being dispatched immediately.
Pearl’s husband was convinced that she was being unfaithful to him with people he imagined living in the woods around their house. On their son’s first birthday, he told Pearl that he had decided to blame her death on them.
“Then he started panicking because I was black and blue head to toe and had bite marks and cuts — so [the abuse] would be obvious to police,” Pearl said.
He made her cover her bruises with clothing and make-up. Pearl watched him hide a pistol in his pocket as he walked outside to talk to the police.
The officers insisted they had to speak with the person who made the 911 call. He returned and told her what to say to them. Thinking this would be her chance to escape, Pearl grabbed the baby and walked outside.
She was hoping the police would notice she was wearing heavy clothing even though the weather was very hot. “I was terrified,” she said. “He stood behind me the whole time with the gun in his pocket. I tried to act suspicious to clue them in.”
Pearl spoke with the police briefly, then they left. She was devastated. Hours later, she began going into shock. “I was convinced I was going to die,” she remembered. To her amazement, her abuser offered to call an ambulance.
When the paramedics examined her in the ambulance, “they said, ‘It looks like somebody beat the hell out of you.’ I told them I fell down the stairs because I knew he was on the other side of the door, listening.”
Pearl, at right, stands with Legal Aid of NC attorney Becca Eden, who helped her secure a protective order and, later, obtain a divorce and full custody of her young son.
The first responders contacted the Sheriff’s Office and Department of Social Services. Once Pearl learned her child was safely in DSS custody, she told the paramedics what had happened. She was taken to the hospital’s trauma wing because her injuries were so severe. They included six fractures in her nose, damage to her neck from being strangled, traumatic liver injury and more than 200 marks and bruises.
Pearl soon learned that her abuser had been arrested. It wasn’t long before she was reunited with her extended family and her child.
“I would not have been able to get the same outcome in civil court if I had to do it all by myself. I don’t think I would have been able to deal with having direct contact with him. And I wouldn’t have been able to pay for an attorney.”
Pearl met with the Assistant District Attorney and an advocate from Helpmate, a provider of domestic violence services, to start criminal and civil proceedings against her abuser. She was referred to Pisgah Legal Services attorney Becca Eden, who is experienced in assisting domestic violence survivors.
Becca helped Pearl secure a protective order and get a divorce and full custody of their child. That support was critical, Pearl said.
“I would not have been able to get the same outcome in civil court if I had to do it all by myself,” she said. “I wouldn’t have known how to do it, and I don’t think I would have been able to deal with the emotional aspect of having direct contact with him. And I wouldn’t have been able to pay for an attorney.”
Becca also stayed by Pearl’s side during her abuser’s criminal trial, where he was found guilty of four felonies, including first-degree kidnapping, and other charges that sent him to prison.
Today, Pearl is living with family and making a new life for herself. She volunteers with Helpmate, speaks out about domestic violence and serves on a local task force that trains police officers on how to spot and respond to domestic violence.
Story and photo courtesy of Pisgah Legal Services.
This story originally appeared in the NC State Bar’s 2024-25 Domestic Violence Victim Assistance Act report, “Combating Domestic Violence With Legal Services.”
Legislation passed by the North Carolina General Assembly on July 9, 2025, bars NC IOLTA from grantmaking from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. Consistent with the legislation, our 2026 funding cycle has not been opened.
Learn more about NC IOLTA and find our most recent updates on this issue on our Media Resources page.
The NC State Bar and NC IOLTA continue to seek a resolution to preserve funding for civil legal aid, which plays a critical role in building a legal system that works for everyone, breaking down barriers and creating strong communities across North Carolina.