Nobody deserves to live in constant fear for their life. TikToker Cody Ellis (@dvsurvivor0) knows this firsthand, and he is sharing his story to spread awareness of how abusive relationships can escalate into something life-threatening.
He married a man who tried to kill him on a daily basis. He ended up stabbing Cody a total of 27 times, leaving him in a coma for five days with a 1% chance of living. Miraculously, he is alive and still standing today. Of course, Cody ended up divorcing him.
Cody is still dealing with the consequences of the murder attempt because they are currently in the process of court proceedings. He must continue attending new court hearings with his ex-husband, David, present.
“I guess, the moral of the story is, know the signs, look for the signs,” said Cody. “And it starts with a shout, it starts with punching a hole in the wall, it starts with throwing things, it starts with control.”
He would control who Cody talked to, where he went, and what he wore. He would also explode over small stuff and claim it was because he loved him so much.
He would hurt Cody and later apologize, moving on as if nothing had happened. In public, he was charming, but in private, Cody was no stranger to his rage.
He kept telling himself that things would get better, but instead, they got worse. On the night before he was stabbed, he and David got into a fight while they were driving.
David grabbed him by the throat, and Cody tried to jump out. Luckily, the police pulled them over and asked them what was wrong.
Cody lied, saying that he thought the brakes had stopped working. He was scared to tell the truth for fear that David would truly hurt him.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
Afterward, David threatened to hurt himself. Cody begged him to take him to his friend’s house. When they arrived, they decided to take David to a behavioral health crisis center.
The next morning, David came back home to see him because the center had said they wanted to keep him for a year. They lay down to rest for a minute, but it was 9:40 a.m. by the time they woke up again.
They sat on the porch, talking about their future. Suddenly, David got up and stood over him in an intimidating manner. He kept asking Cody if he thought he was crazy. Before he could say no, he was being stabbed repeatedly and screaming in agony.
Thankfully, his family and friends came to restrain David. He had been planning the attack that whole time. Cody is a big believer in second chances, but the rule does not apply to abusive situations.
If they’ve done it once, they will do it again. He is sharing his story to urge other people in the same shoes to reach out for help.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
