DeKalb County rental home attack: Survivor shares story of late January invasion

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A medical resident is sharing her story of survival after being choked, stabbed, and sexually assaulted during a violent rental home invasion in DeKalb County.

Jena Salem woke up in late January to the sound of heavy footsteps in her hallway along Atherton Circle. The attacker, identified by DeKalb County police as Derrick Burnstine, had cut off the electricity to her rental home before jumping onto her bed without a mask.

DeKalb County police investigation

What we know:

Burnstine ordered Salem to take off her pants, but she attempted to run toward the front door, which was locked. The intruder grabbed her in a forearm chokehold and strangled her until she was unable to make a noise.

He then forced her into the basement, where he punched her several times and sexually assaulted her as she begged for her life. Burnstine placed a kitchen knife against her neck, slit her throat, and stabbed her in the chest, causing her lung to collapse.

Salem fought back until the knife broke, ran out the front door, and had a neighbor call for help. Medics took her to Grady Memorial Hospital, where she had previously worked during her post-medical school residency.

DeKalb County police arrested Burnstine a short distance from the rental home after the attack. Jail records show he is being held without bond and has a legal hearing scheduled for next month.

Derrick Burnstine pending charges

What we don't know:

Police have not released the exact list of criminal charges Burnstine faces. It remains unclear how long Salem will need to fully recover from her physical injuries.

Survivor empowers other women

What they're saying:

"Gonna be part of me for the rest of my life. The day that I die, I will have the scar on my neck," Salem said. "I immediately woke me up from the dead sleep heavy footsteps in my hallway. My first thing I thought was that, oh, my God, someone's in my house".

"He grabs me with his forearm in a chokehold and he just starts immediately strangling me as hard as he can. I can't even make a noise. I'm trying to scream for someone to hear me. I can't even make a noise," Salem said. "I feel something warm and metal on my neck, and as I go up and reach, the second, I touch it and realize it's a kitchen knife. He slits".

"I know that I can't falter. I can't be weak, I can't lose my strength in this moment," Salem said. "I just feel so strongly that the only way that violence against women is ever going to stop happening, or that people are going to recognize that it is happening the way that it is, is you speak out when when survivors can speak out, when they feel comfortable and empowered to. And I do, I feel so strongly that people need to know that this happened to me".

Moving beyond the attack

What's next:

Salem continues to heal from her injuries months after the assault. She is currently preparing to leave Georgia to begin a new job in another state.