Part 3: 'I understand the fear, but you have to get out'

Dawn Franklin's nightmare of living with a man who beat her, raped her and ripped her down emotionally ended after two years, but her battle with her abuser and the emotional and physical toll it had taken on her life continued long after she got away from him.

Franklin's scars run deep.

She knew she was free, but it wouldn't be long before she had to face David Adele again.

When Adele made his first court appearance after his arrest, he waited until he was being escorted out of the courtroom to stop, turn around and stare at Franklin.

"He had this evil look," she said. "He wanted to send me a message. I knew if he didn't get life in prison, he was going to sit there in his cell day after day, planning how he was going to come after me and how he was going to kill me."

Franklin had medical issues to deal with first.

The last beating left her with two broken ribs, a nose broken in three places and bruising all over her body. In addition, Adele had busted her ear drums.

In September 2013, she had reconstructive surgery on her face, but the state's crime victims compensation fund paid for it.

Her neighbors rallied around her, giving her rides to her appointments and helping with her care.

She soon found a job and went to work. Still, she lived in fear.

The fear remains

Franklin's life began anew, but she had a cloud hanging over her head. She was still afraid of Adele.

She knew he was locked up, but he'd once bragged about how he'd escaped police custody after an incident with his ex-girlfriend he later beat to death. Adele told her he'd cut his wrists, woke up in the hospital strapped down, but broke free and climbed out of a hospital window.

Franklin knew Adele was to supposed to stay in jail until the trial, but it didn't mean much to her.

"I was afraid -- afraid he'd get out and come after me," she said.

Franklin turned to a Lucedale police lieutenant who headed the criminal investigation for support. The officer introduced her to his wife and family and checked on her constantly.

She had his cellphone number and his wife told her to call anytime. She did.

Franklin said she got scared mostly after dusk, thinking he might escape, knowing he'd come for her.

She'd call the lieutenant to check on Adele.

"He'd tell me he's still locked up, that it's OK, that I was safe," she said.

In October 2015, Franklin would face her abuser in court.

The trial

In late October, Adele was in a George County courtroom.

By then, he'd had a tattoo of Franklin etched on his arm, just as he'd tattooed a nickname for his ex-girlfriend he'd killed years earlier.

"It was scary because I knew he was going to be there," Franklin said. "But at the same time, after all the emotional abuse and the things he did to me, this was my chance to stand up against him."

When Franklin took the stand, she was admittedly nervous, but determined.

She talked about the constant beatings, the emotional torture and the repeated rapes.

She talked about the animals he killed and the threats he made to kill her children. She told them about how he promised to hunt down her parents or her grandparents if she left.

She talked about her fears and her injuries.

And she talked about her life as a prisoner in her own home.

The jury believed her.

Assistant District Attorney Leilani Tynes said she was proud "of the courage and strength that Dawn had throughout the investigation and trial of this case. As prosecutors, we appreciate how hard it often is for victims of domestic violence to break the cycle of abuse and find their voice."

'I knew I had survived'

When Franklin walked out of the courtroom, she felt a kind of freedom she hadn't known for years.

She was on her own. She had a job and she had her kids in her life again.

"I knew I had survived," she said. "He was finally the one in handcuffs.

"For so long, I was the prisoner. Now, he was going to be told when to get up in the morning, and he was going to be told what he was going to eat, and he was going to live each day in a jail cell because of me. So I wasn't the weak person he said I was because I stood up in front of a jury and told them what he did to me. I was free, and now he was the prisoner."

Franklin still has fears when it comes to Adele.

"People think 'Well, he's locked up, he's not going anywhere. But I still worry sometimes, especially at night," she said. "If I hear something outside, I still look to see what's out there, but I'm doing better."

It's one day at a time.

Franklin said she's gone on a couple of dates, but still has trust issues and isn't looking for a relationship.

She has mostly remained quiet about what happened to her until now.

"I shared what happened to me so others will get away from this," she said. "I know how they feel. I was ashamed because I felt like I let this happen to me. I didn't tell my family because I was afraid for them, and I felt like they would be disappointed in me.

"Looking back, I wish I had told them. When you are in it, you think you are nothing, you think you can't do anything right, you think you can't leave, but you can.

"I understand the fear, but you have to get out," she said. "Let your family know to be on guard. Get them in a safe place. Get a restraining order and get some help. The life I was living was not the kind of life to live. It doesn't get better. It doesn't stop. You have to say, 'Enough is enough.'"

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 9:24 PM with the headline "Part 3: 'I understand the fear, but you have to get out' ."