After more than 10 surgeries, a broken tibia, and years of suffering from an abusive relationship, Bridget Knighton walked into court on Monday with the assistance of her cane to urge a Miami-Dade judge to deny a plea deal for her alleged abuser.
Fifty-five-year-old Gayle Blount has been in jail since 2021 after police arrested him for attempting to kill Knighton by shooting her multiple times.
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WATCH HEREBlount told NBC6 she was shot eight times, including in the legs and stomach, and several bullets had to be removed from her body.
The shooting was no surprise to Knighton, who claims she had repeatedly reported her abuse and even got a restraining order against him from Broward County. However, Knighton said Blount managed to still appear and at times manipulate and beat her up.
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In May 2021, police got a domestic call regarding a violation of a restraining order. Once at the scene, police heard gunshots.
Blount was arrested and, police said, they found Knighton laying on the floor suffering from apparent gunshot wounds after the man she had been fearful of shot her.
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"You can have a restraining order, be shot eight times, and not want to take responsibility for what you have done," Knighton told NBC6.
After more than four years, Blount's case seemed as if it was coming to an end when the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office and the defendant's attorneys agreed on a 20-year-plea deal.
Last week, Blount pleaded guilty to attempted murder and throwing a deadly missile charges, with the plan that on Monday, Judge Ellen Sue Venzer would sentence him to 20 years.
However, Knighton appeared in court Monday and urged the judge to deny the deal, claiming she wanted her shooter to spend 25 years in prison.
"If I must endure this pain for the rest of my life because I dared survive his attempt to kill me, then he should not be spared a similar fate," Knighton told the judge.
The judge admitted she "was not aware after I accepted the guilty plea that this was the background," and sided with Knighton by denying the 20-year-deal.
Because Blount was not willing to accept 25 years, the judge allowed him to take back his guilty plea and head to trial.
Blount's attorney did not want to comment after the hearing.
