JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – What happened to 73-year-old Karen Brown on Friday night is something her niece Cheryl Preusler says she’s still trying to come to terms with.
Preusler described her aunt as a woman of remarkable strength.
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“It just goes to show how incredibly strong of a person she is, and she did everything she could to give that fight to him,” Preusler said. “It’s amazing when you consider the injury she has, what all she was able to do.”
The suspect, 20-year-old Jeremiah Thompson, is now in custody and faces multiple charges in connection with the attack.
According to an arrest report, Brown was home Friday night when she heard scratching at her back patio door. She saw Thompson outside holding a package that he claimed had been mistakenly delivered to his house. Brown opened the door, and what happened next remains unclear as details of her account were redacted from the report. However, Preusler shared that Brown fought hard, despite having no formal self-defense training.
“She’s definitely processing everything that happened,” Preusler said. “There’s a lot of ‘What if’ moments right now of thinking, ‘Why did I open the door?’ And with that, we’re just trying to remind her that her brave actions and everybody around coming to her help, that’s the reason she’s still with us.”
Preusler said her aunt’s decision to fight back came from a place of survival.
“I think she realized that if she did not, her outcome was not going to be positive, and that was the willpower that she needed to get through that situation,” she explained.
Brown is out of the intensive care unit and has been transferred to a rehabilitation room. While her recovery journey is just starting, her family remains hopeful and grateful for the support they’ve received from the community.
In the wake of what happened, Preusler launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover her aunt’s recovery costs. She admitted she set up the fundraiser without Brown’s permission, knowing her aunt would be too humble to ask for help.
“She wants everybody to understand that she would never ask for help,” Preusler said. “But she is just so overwhelmed with gratitude, and the fact that the community has her back right now just means the world to her as well as her daughter, Jennifer.”
As of Tuesday evening, the GoFundMe campaign had raised over $4,700 of its $7,000 goal. The family remains hopeful that the community will continue to rally behind Brown as she continues her recovery.