A Nebraska woman says she survived one of the most brutal nights of her life — an attack by her ex-boyfriend that left her bloodied, battered, and nearly killed — after what she thought would be a simple act of kindness.
“It’s Really Bad This Time”
Jesserae Beck, 42, told local station KOLN that she brought her ex-boyfriend, 36-year-old Christopher Collins, a home-cooked meal on Sept. 24, hoping to show forgiveness after months of turmoil between them. Collins, she said, had recently been out on bond for assault and strangulation charges stemming from an earlier incident. A protection order she filed against him had been lifted just days before. Instead of reconciliation, Beck said, she walked into a nightmare. “It was like he snapped into a completely different realm,” Beck recalled. “I don’t want you to look at your face,” Collins allegedly told her after the beating. “It’s really bad this time.”
He Beat Her Until He Thought She Was Dead
Beck says Collins pummeled her until she lost consciousness. When she woke up hours later, she wasn’t in his house anymore — she was in a rental property he owned, disoriented and covered in blood. “He actually thought I was dead,” Beck said. “I woke up in a completely different house, but he wasn’t expecting me to wake up.” What followed, Beck described, was a twisted standoff between life and death. She said Collins laid beside her for hours, crying, begging her to kill him. When she refused, he allegedly told her, “Then I’ll kill you and then I’ll kill myself.” Beck said, “He had zero intention of both of us making it out.”
Her Ex Tried To Blow Her Up
By the next day, Sept. 25, police say the situation had escalated into something even more dangerous. SWAT officers arrived at the gas-filled home after reports that Collins was threatening to blow it up with both of them inside. Beck said he tried to strangle her again as law enforcement breached the door. Officers subdued Collins and took him into custody. Beck was rushed to the hospital with multiple injuries, including a fractured nose, broken ribs, and a brain bleed. Inside the home, investigators found blood on the walls, broken glass, and clumps of hair — the remnants of a night that could have turned deadly not just for Beck, but for others nearby. “He would have blown up a couple more houses on top of us,” she said. “So not only would my life have been gone, but somebody else’s innocent lives would have been gone as well.”
Beck Is Healing, But It’s A Long Way Back
Collins now faces a long list of charges, including kidnapping, strangulation, terroristic threats, and attempted use of an explosive to commit a felony. He remains in custody ahead of a court appearance scheduled for Nov. 6. Beck, meanwhile, is still healing — physically and emotionally. “How did the person that I love so much bring us both here?” she said. “Not only is he ruining my life, but he’s ruining his own.” Even so, she considers herself lucky. “It could be worse,” she told KOLN. “I could be dead. I’m thankful every day I’m not.”
