One Year After Texas Attack, Lesbian Shooting Survivor Still Misses Her Girlfriend

A teenage lesbian who was shot in the head while out at a park with her girlfriend near Corpus Christi, Texas, last year, has made a "miraculous recovery," say her doctors. But she's still struggling to come to terms with the unsolved attack that took her girlfriend's life, reportsNBC News. 

"I want them to hurry up and find the person because ... there are still times where I find myself scared, wondering if they're going to come after me,” Kristene Chapa told NBC News earlier in June. "I'm always looking around, seeing if I recognize anyone. There's still a part of me that's scared."

Near midnight on June 23, 2012, a still-unidentified assailant approached Chapa and her girlfriend, Mollie Judith Olgin, at a quiet park in Portland, Texas. The suspect led the girls down a steep hill, bound them, and shot them both in the head. Nearly nine hours later, a couple birdwatching found the victims and notified police. Olgin was killed, while Chapa has rushed to a hospital to have fragments of her skull and brain removed. She has spent the past year re-learning how to balance, speak clearly, make facial expressions, and stand, sit, and walk, according to NBC. 

Amid these substantial health challenges, Chapa has struggled with her girlfriend's death, lamenting the fact that she and Olgin fought about meeting Chapa's parents the night they were shot. Chapa was not out to her parents at the time, and wasn't yet comfortable introducing her girlfriend of six months, reports NBC. 

"Every day I think about her," Chapa said. "I pray for her, just for her to watch over me."

While Chapa has made a slow, steady recovery, she does not have health insurance and the cost of her extensive medical treatment has exhausted her family's savings, reports NBC. Her family has set up a fund for those wishing to donate to her recovery. You can find that donation page here. 

Police have closed in on a potential suspect who is currently incarcerated in another state, according to NBC. Police are not investigating the murder as a hate crime, but also have not revealed any potential motive. 

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