On New Year's Eve Martin came back with Dustin Stewart and began circling the house trying to break-in. Martin had a 12-inch hunting knife in his hand.
Sarah, with infant son in crib, jumped to find her dead husband's 12-Ga shotgun. Retreating to the bedroom she called 911.
"I've got two guns in my hand -- is it okay to shoot him if he comes in this door?" Sarah asked the 911 dispatcher. "I'm here by myself with my infant baby, can I please get a dispatcher out here immediately?"
The dispatcher replied, "I can't tell you that you can do that but you do what you have to do to protect your baby". After nearly 25 minutes on the phone, Martin kicked in a door, and quickly found the mother and her son crouched near the bed. She opened fire, Martin hit the floor - dead.
"You're allowed to shoot an unauthorized person that is in your home. The law provides you the remedy, and sanctions the use of deadly force," says Det. Dan Huff of the Blanchard police. The other assailant later turned himself into police.
Tragedy averted? Well, at 18, Sarah is a mom, a hero, and a widow. It will be years before her young son learns about his mom's bravery, and his dad's legacy of leaving both with the tools to survive.
Related
'I just shot the man': Boy, 14, Kills Intruder
Man Tries To Kill Women With Poisoned Shoes
