He Said He'd Kill My Family If I Spoke-Vivian

Quick Overview

Vivian endured severe, long-term physical, emotional, and sexual abuse from her police officer stepfather starting in childhood, which culminated in her reporting him at age 12, leading to an attempted contract killing against her, years of subsequent substance abuse including alcohol and meth, multiple arrests, DUIs, marital failures, and eventual sobriety and recovery efforts.

Key Points: Vivian experienced physical abuse involving her stepfather spanking her and her sister with a leather glove without fingertips, where crying made the punishment worse, forcing her to become stoic. The sexual abuse by her stepdad began around age 10, and after she reported it at 12, her stepdad hired someone from jail to assassinate her before she testified, resulting in a shot missing her head by inches. Due to the trauma, Vivian subsequently developed severe alcoholism, leading to a first DUI at 25, and later, after a period of sobriety, she used methamphetamine for four months in 2016, losing custody of her children and jobs. After a severe relapse involving crystal meth use, Vivian was injected with meth by her dealer, which was the last time she used, as she could not get high anymore and subsequently entered prison for a probation violation. Vivian's third marriage ended violently in Paradise, Montana, when, after relapsing with wine during a trip meant to reconcile, her husband raped and sodomized her, threw her phone and keys in a river, and locked her out naked in a blizzard. Following the assault in Montana, Vivian experienced a mental breakdown at the airport, leading to her arrest for causing a disturbance, including running from police while handcuffed and damaging hotel property, resulting in $1,500 in restitution. Vivian's youngest child, Ezra (transgender, formerly Marissa), was the one who vocally confronted Vivian about her severe drinking, leading Vivian to seek inpatient treatment for 48 days.

Context: The transcript features Vivian recounting her harrowing life story, beginning with her childhood in Boise, Idaho, where she was subjected to intense physical and sexual abuse by her mother's police officer husband, her stepfather. This trauma set the stage for a life marked by substance abuse, failed relationships, and multiple legal troubles, including DUIs and incarceration, as she continually sought ways to cope with unresolved past events.