Victim addresses man who terrorized her in Pensacola Beach: ‘I’m strong. You didn’t break me’

ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. ( WKRG ) — A woman addressed her former abuser as he was sentenced to three decades behind bars at a Florida state prison on Thursday, leaving a message that she is not broken from the incident that happened when she was 18.

The Florida State Attorney’s Office said in a press release that the victim addressed 22-year-old Richard Anderson Tome Cabajal of West Des Moines, Iowa, as he was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Linda Nobles.

Tome was sentenced for brutally terrorizing the victim by repeatedly battering, strangling and raping her twice at a Pensacola Beach hotel room in May 2023.

She delivered the following statement during the sentencing:

“I survived that night because I’m strong,” the victim said. “You didn’t break me. I will move on from this and go back to college. I hope you regret what you did to me every day while you are sitting in prison.”

For information and help for sexual assault and domestic violence victims, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.

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