Last night we told you about a mother and her son who were stabbed on Saturday morning by her enraged live-in boyfriend. Tonight we have more details about the chilling case of domestic abuse which almost ended the life of Erna Bethran and her 12 year old son. Tonight a still ailing Erna is back in the hospital but there is some good news because her son has been released from the hospital. We met Erna at the hospital and she recounted the traumatic details to Keith Swift.
Erna Bethran,
"My two year old asked my cousin if my mommy died and she is only two so I don't know why he had to do this in front of my baby or my son because only we live there with my big daughter. I don't why it had to go this far for him to do me this."
Erna Bethran's terror began around 3 am on Saturday morning when she returned to her Garbutt Street home after a night of partying with friends.
Erna Bethran,
"The taxi dropped me home and I told the taxi man I hope that one inside doesn't go on crazy tonight. So I got out and I gave him the $5 and I saw my door open. He didn't say anything so I went inside, locked the door back, and then I saw him pick up some small change off the floor, put on his short pants, and started to dig in the tub. I turned around and asked him what was he looking for in the tub and he didn't answer me or nothing.
When he moved from the tub, he went to the sofa and I fixed the clothes back into to the tub to push it back under the bed and when I raised up, that is when he came down with the knife into my chest. I only felt the burning so I didn't know if I was stabbed here. I know I got one in my leg. My son jumped off the bed and when he jumped off the bed he punched Billary down because he came to help me.
My back was turned to them so I don't really know what he did to my son. My son said he was punched in the chest. My son was trying to tell me to get up but I was only feeling the burning in my leg. I got up and I asked Billary, 'bwoy so dah kill you wah kill me? Look how you stab me in my chest.' He didn't answer. I told him that I had told him I was going out and I grabbed him in his shirt and I told my son to run and go get the police. Up to that point I didn't know he (my son) was stabbed."
Erna sought assistance from her next-door neighbor who is also her cousin. Both mother and son were taken to the hospital. Erna says she was stabbed because of an insanely jealous and, she says, dangerous lover.
Erna Bethran,
"Jealous; just jealousy. He told me that if he can't have me, nobody will have me and prior to that, like two days, I was lying down and my mind just told me to get up and when I did he told me why didn't I lie down for him to cut my throat."
Keith Swift,
You think he wanted to kill you?
Erna Bethran,
"He told me. He threatened me before, I made a report. He told me he wouldn't do it so I just dropped the charges. He came to do it again and we had a court case with the same gun thing and all he paid was $80 and $5 cost of court."
Keith Swift,
Was this an abusive relationship?
Erna Bethran,
"No, not really. It wasn't abusive but he was just a jealous person. If I talked to anybody, if I talked to a friend of mine's bwoy, he would say if I am playing with that person. If I even talked to a girlfriend, he would say somebody gave her a message to give me. That is the type of person he is."
Keith Swift,
What message would you like to give other women who find themselves in a position like you?
Erna Bethran,
"Well if they find themselves with a person like that, try to get out of the relationship because its not nice. I was trying to get out and he nearly killed me."
As we reported last night, Erna's son's lung was punctured when he was stabbed in the back. He again has been released and is tonight with his father. Erna's common-law husband Alfred Billary was charged for two counts of attempted murder yesterday use of deadly means of harm and was remanded to prison.
