MONTGOMERY, Ala. AP – After enduring seven months of escalating violence – including strangling, smothering and beatings with pieces of smashed furniture – an Alabama woman escaped her abusive boyfriend when a concerned neighbor offered shelter and brought her to the police.

The woman, who asked that her full name and location not be revealed because her abuser is still at large, credits her neighbor with giving her the courage to flee her boyfriend and start her life over again.