London, Ont. victim finds strength after despair
After surviving an unspeakable trauma, Ashley Michelle is now hoping to help other victims of violence with her book.
“It was the most horrific thing that I have ever seen in my life, “ says Michelle.
Michelle didn’t know what she was stepping into in August of 2016 when her former boyfriend William Joles called her after a bloody murder. She was attacked in the downtown London apartment and then forced to clean up the mess.
“He strangled me there and sexually assaulted me and showed me the body of the deceased,” says Michelle.
Joles was found guilty of second degree murder in the brutal death of his buddy Nathan Deslippe. He was sentenced to life in prison two years later. Ashley was a key witness at the trial.
“I actually attempted to take my own life at that point because I didn’t feel like I deserved to go on,” says Michelle. “I felt so much guilt that I was still alive and that deceased was dead.”
After months of dealing with depression and despair Ashley decided to take action and put her struggles on paper with a book entitled, “Finding Strength Through Tragedy.”
“I really hope that it helps survivors of crime go in a positive direction and get the help and get the counselling they need,” says Michelle. “I believe every trauma is a teaching tool and a teaching lesson for somebody else.”
For more details or to purchase the book click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Getting the lowest mortgage rates in a high interest rate world
The challenges facing home buyers mean it's all the more important to do research and negotiate on rates, mortgage experts say, though they also caution that there's more to focus on than just what looks like the cheapest upfront option.