SHELTON, Wash. — Nearly six years ago, a Montana sheriff's deputy was killed in the line of duty.
Lloyd Barrus, an anti-government extremist, is serving a life sentence for the crime.
Barrus and his son Marshall Barrus shot the deputy, then led officers on a high-speed chase before a frefight ensued. Marshall Barrus was killed. Lloyd was captured and later prosecuted for the crime.
Barrus' ex-wife lives in the Pacific Northwest and she shared her story on Dateline's newest episode called, "On a Dark, Deserted Highway."
"I just really think that it would be helpful for, you know, young ladies that are possibly going through these kinds of things, because we could have easily become the statistics that so many have fallen victim to," Del Bosque said about the abuse she experienced while married to Barrus.
Del Bosque was married to Barrus before the crime happened. She knew she and her kids were in danger.
"He put his hands around my neck and was in a rage. And he almost killed me and I had to beg and plead. And I think because he still deeply loved me. Seeing me so shattered by his actions was the only thing that popped him out of that state of mind. You know, I could have died then and I know that. So having lived through that experience I wasn't gonna give him a second chance," she said.
Debra and her five kids escaped Alaska to Arizona and then to Shelton, Washington where she lives now.
"We left my dad in 1989. When I was six, and we flew. We escaped from there in the middle of the night," said her son Al Barrus. "My mom was horrified. She had she told me that she had a strong feeling from the Holy Spirit that she was going to die that night that we left. So my mom's my hero. She got us out of there. All five of us."
Debra's strength and bravery is evident. She hopes her story will help others realize they too can escape abuse and that they can seek help to survive.
"Even if it were one person to realize that you have options, it's never an option to just stay and keep living through it. You have options, and it doesn't matter what it takes. It's worth it to get out. And not have that as part of your life any longer," Del Bosque said.