The survivor of a brutal execution-style attack has won $198 million in a civil case against her assailant, who also killed her girlfriend.
Mary Kristene Chapa, then 18, and her late girlfriend, Mollie Ogin, 19, were confronted by David Strickland at a public park in Portland, Texas, in 2012.
The killer, then 26, stripped the two women, bound them, blindfolded them with duct tape and sexually assaulted them in Violet Andrews Park before shooting them.
Police believed both women were dead when they discovered them with head wounds the next morning, but Chapa was still alive.
Strickland was sentenced to life without parole in 2016, but on Wednesday, the justice system issued another blow against him.
Chapa finally won a civil suit she filed against Strickland, his father and their family pharmacy in 2017.
At the time, she had asked for $500 million to cover her medical costs and mental anguish.
Chapa’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee, announced the verdict after several days of testimony at a San Patricio state courthouse, calling the plaintiff a ‘hero.’
Kristene Chapa was the sole survivor of a 2012 attack at a park in Texas
Chapa (left) was with her girlfriend, Mollie Ogin (right), when they were confronted by a stranger in Violet Andrews Park
‘This is one of the largest sexual assault verdicts in the history of the United States,’ Buzbee said in a statement.
‘Kristene Chapa is a fighter. She is a survivor. She has attempted to put her life together as best she can, given what David Strickland did to her.
‘She is someone that all should admire. I am proud to represent her in this historic case.’
The decision took the jury just over two hours, reported KVUE.
According to a court document obtained by Caller Times, Chapa was seeking damages for permanent harm inflicted by Strickland during the violent and devastating attack.
‘She has tunnel vision, walks with a limp, is in constant pain, and has undergone extensive physical rehabilitation and medical treatment,’ it read.
‘She will need treatment and substantial assistance with daily tasks for the balance of her life.’
Per the lawsuit, Strickland’s father, Larry Strickland, was also at fault for being aware of his son’s violent tendencies and failing to intervene.
It is alleged that the father entrusted his son with the .45 caliber Glock used in the attack, per KRISTV.
Chapa was shot in the head but survived and is now an advocate for sexual assault survivors
Ogin did not survive the attack and was found dead by police the next day
Texas lawyer Tony Buzbee announced the verdict, calling Chapa a ‘hero’
Strickland worked with his father at Taft Pharmacy, which was owned by the family.
Prosecutors claimed that the company ‘aided and abetted’ the perpetrator either intentionally or through negligence.
Chapa’s story garnered national attention. She appeared in a Dateline episode where she recounted the chilling details of her last moments with Ogin.
‘We weren’t even there for five minutes and we end up seeing this guy walk by,’ she said.
‘I got this weird feeling and we wanted to hurry up and get out of there. And the next thing you know, he’s right there on Mollie’s side, with a gun.’
‘We both asked each other if we were okay, and that was the last thing we both asked each other,’ Chapa said.
The survivor has since become an advocate for sexual assault survivors and gun violence victims.
David Strickland was found guilty and sentences to life without parole in 2016
Despite ‘overwhelming evidence against him,’ Strickland maintained his innocence, a lawsuit said.
The suit says Strickland ‘sneered’ at Chapa and her family throughout the initial trial and his lawyer has filed multiple appeals for his sentence.
The first appeal was denied in 2020, followed by a state appeals court denying the request in 2024.
In September 2025, a federal judge denied a request for a review of his incarceration.
Strickland’s lawyer filed an appeal on that decision in October that has yet to be reviewed.
The Daily Mail contacted Buzbee, Chapa and Strickland’s lawyer for comment.
