The 18-year-old survivor of a double shooting that killed her girlfriend in a Portland, Texas park last month has been released from the hospital and has entered a rehabilitation facility according to NBCLatino.com. Mary Kristene Chapa (pictured left)--whose girlfriend Mollie Olgin, 19, (pictured right), died from her wounds--had recovered enough to describe the attacker in detail enough for police to create an updated sketch of the suspect.
Chapa sustained a brain injury from the shooting that made it difficult for her to relay details of the ordeal she and Olgin suffered on the night of June 22, but her brain function continues to improve her brother Hilario Chapa said, according to NBC.com.
“She’s in neurological rehab, getting her speech and her way of thinking better,” Hilario said.
Portland Police Chief Randy Wright said that it is rare to “revisit” a sketch but credited Kristene’s improved condition with helping to flesh out a portrait of the shooter.
Olgin and Kristene had been a couple since mid-February and were spending some time in the park before seeing a movie, according to reports. They were found in knee-high grass at Violet Andrews Park, according to ABC.
The crime has not been classified as a hate crime but it has not been ruled out either, according to MSNBC.com
Kristene’s brother Hilario also said that the time came when they had to inform his sister that her girlfriend was killed in the shooting and that police officials and Olgin’s family were there when Kristene was told that Olgin did not survive. “She was brokenhearted. Very upset,” Hilario said.
The updated sketch is being distributed throughout media outlets. Wright told MSNBC that the Portland community is rallying around finding the suspect but that Kristene is also determined to catch him.
“She wants very badly to help us identify Mollie’s murderer,” Wright said.
Kristene's family does not have insurance and a page has been set up for those who would like to donate to help stem the cost of her medical bills.
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