[Nfbc-info] One of our own {Escondido NFB Chapter member}

[Lisa Irving]

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< > 

A North County man has spent the last five years in the dark after a Border
Patrol agent who was going after his estranged wife mistakenly attacked him

instead. Until now, he has been living with that pain and until Saturday,
had never meeting his attacker. The inspirational man talked about meeting
his

assailant in an exclusive interview with NBC 7's Sherene Tagharobi.
(Published Sunday, Nov 23, 2014)

Sunday, Nov 23, 2014 . Updated at 5:53 PM PST

 

Imagine being the victim of a brutal attack that put you in a coma for two
months and left you with brain damage, speech problems and blindness. Now,
imagine

sitting down face-to-face with your attacker and finding it in your heart to
not only forgive him, but also to listen to his side of the story. 

 

It's unfathomable on so many levels, and yet, Chris Anguiano has managed all
of it. And it couldn't say more about his character. 

 

Hatchet Attack Victim Graduates from Guide Dog School

 

"He said he feels bad and he's so sorry," Anguiano told NBC 7 in an
exclusive interview Saturday. "I took his apology. I accepted it." 

 

Anguiano's referring to the 

former Border Patrol agent

who 

attacked him and his then-girlfriend with two hatchets

while they slept in their Escondido home in July 2009. Gamalier Rivera meant
to kill his estranged wife and her new boyfriend but 

went into the wrong bedroom. 

 

Attacker's Apology "A Little Too Late"

[DGO] Attacker's Apology "A Little Too Late" 

Chris Anguiano

wore all black because he had a message for 

Gamalier Rivera,

the man who almost ended his life. The day of his sentencing would be
Rivera's funeral. Anguiano was brutally attacked in a case of mistaken
identity when

Rivera went to his estranged wife's 

Escondido

home in July 2009 with two hatchets. During sentencing, Rivera apologized
for the first time. (Published Wednesday, Mar 30, 2011)

 

"I think it's good to confront the person who harmed you," said Dr. Skip
Himelstein, Anguiano's therapist. "It kind of raises you up and lowers them
down."

 

 

Himelstein traveled Saturday with Anguiano to Centinela State Prison where
they sat down for a meeting with Rivera. They had prepared months for this.

 

 

Four Life Sentences for Former BP Agent in Hatchet Attack

 

Even if Anguiano didn't believe Rivera's side, hearing it brought him
closure. 

 

"How he's so sorry what he's done to me. How he's changed his life forever,
you know. I told him, 'You changed your life forever,'" Anguiano said. 

 

Four Life Sentences for Former BP Agent in Hatchet Attack

[DGO] Four Life Sentences for Former BP Agent in Hatchet Attack 

A former Border Patrol agent who attacked a couple with a hatchet while they
slept in a case of mistaken identity was sentenced Tuesday to four life
sentences.

(Published Tuesday, Mar 29, 2011)

 

Himelstein has seen Anguiano progress from rage and anger to where he is
now, a state of peace and positivity. She's incredibly proud of him. 

 

"He was so glad and relieved to hear what Gamalier had to say," she said. 

 

Hatchet Attack Was Mistaken Identity: Prosecutors

 

"I'm in a better place. I have freedom. He doesn't have freedom," Anguiano
said. "I have life. I'm enjoying it in a different manner." 

 

Even if he can't see images, Anguiano loves watching movies, listening to
the dialogue and special effects. He also joked that he's trying to convince

his friends to let him drive their cars but hasn't had any luck yet. 

 

Victim Relives Horrifying Hatchet Attack

 

As impressive as Anguiano's outlook on life and overcoming obstacles is his
independence. He's been living in an apartment alone for nearly a year and

a half, and though he has a caretaker -- his father -- three days a week, he
gets along just fine on his own as well. 

 

In the past five years he's adapted to his environment so he can carry out
the simple tasks most of us take for granted. He's organized his
refrigerator

so he knows exactly where everything is when he reaches in. He has an app on
his iPhone that reads and identifies banknotes. He even has a way of
navigating

the remote so he can change the channel, or play and enjoy those movies he
loves. 

 

He's even gone skiing, flown on a Dive Devil, and gone crabbing. 

 

Anguiano has come a long way, but naturally, he can't deny his deepest
feelings. 

 

"I feel like he should have been punished the way he punished me," he said. 

 

But he has taken an immeasurable step. 

 

"I could say I forgive him, but I'm never going to forget," Anguiano said.
"The rest of my life I'll remember." 

 

When all this happened, Anguiano was studying nursing. He's on a different
track now, taking classes at Palomar College and encouraging other victims
of

violent crime not to give up on life, even speaking about his trauma in
college classes taught by his therapist.

  

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