Montana woman reflects on her miraculous survival after getting shot several times

A Montana woman who came close to death after she and her roommate were shot several times in their home says she's grateful to be alive.

On Jan. 6, 2018, Ashley Van Hemert, then 32, and Lauren DeWise, 35, were both shot by an intruder and left for dead in their Belgrade, Montana, home. Van Hemert sustained shots to her head, back and shoulder, while DeWise was shot in the head, chest and shoulder.

Tragically, DeWise died that night, but Van Hemert miraculously survived.

A new "20/20" episode, "You Left Me For Dead," airing Friday, March 14, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu, examines the case.

Van Hemert, who was a nursing assistant, woke up in the hospital nearly a week later, surrounded by her family. Unable to talk or move, Van Hemert was only able to use her fingers to communicate.

"The first thing I remember is opening my eyes. I saw some of my family members in the room and I gave the I love you sign to them. And that's when they knew I could see," Van Hemert told ABC News Correspondent John Quiñones in an interview for "20/20."

Belgrade police officers found Van Hemert lying on her bedroom floor, covered in blood and fighting for her life.

She was transported to three different hospitals, eventually being flown more than 700 miles away to the University of Colorado Medical Center.

"We didn't have the capacity to care for her She had been shot point-blank in the back of the head," Belgrade Police Chief Dustin Lensing told "20/20." "We weren't even sure if she would survive."

The oldest of eight children, Van Hemert credits her survival to her large, supportive family and unwavering faith.

"God is good and I'm still here," Van Hemert said. "The Lord literally saved my life that night."

Prior to the shooting, Van Hemert spent the evening at a movie with her boyfriend. The last thing she remembered was getting dropped off at home and locking the front door of the house she shared with DeWise and homeowner Audria Butler, who was not at home at the time of the shooting.

DeWise, a local bank manager, had moved into the house less than two months earlier. After having marital problems with her husband Paul DeWise, she moved out of the home where they lived with their 4-year-old daughter and Paul's two teenage children from a previous marriage.

"[Lauren] was just a very kind soul...She never said anything really...ill will at all about Paul," Van Hemert said. "It was just simply [that] she didn't like how she was being treated. And she just wanted to be able to start over and start a new life."

When Butler returned home on the morning of Jan. 7, 2018 and saw that her roommates had been shot, she ran to a neighbors house and he called 911. Detectives from the Belgrade Police Department and the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office arrived soon after and discovered signs of a break-in.

Upon arriving at the home on the morning of Jan. 7, 2018, detectives from the Belgrade Police Department and the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office discovered signs of a break-in.

They found two fresh sets of distinct boot prints in the snow leading to the back door, which had been kicked in. Fearing that the snow would melt, the investigators immediately began processing the scene to try and determine the type of boots that left the prints.

Inside the home, they found nine shell casings in total, but no signs of a burglary or any DNA evidence.

Investigators later estimated that Van Hemert and DeWise were shot by an intruder about two hours after Van Hemert returned home. The women were discovered about nine hours later.

Van Hemert said her doctors told her one of the bullets ended up saving her life by plugging the wound.

"I know that God was watching out for her, because even the doctor said that they had never seen that before," Ashley's mother Linda Van Hemert told "20/20." "That a part of a bullet actually lodged in the carotid artery to block it. Even just a little bit moved one way or the other and she would've bled out."

Van Hemert endured multiple surgeries including a craniotomy -- where a portion of the skull is removed to access the brain -- after she suffered a massive hemispheric stroke.

Once a very active snowboarder and hiker, Van Hemert had to start over. She spent the next eight months recovering at Craig Hospital, a neurorehabilitation facility, relearning how to eat, swallow, walk, dress and do everyday activities with only the use of the right side of her body.

DeWise's estranged husband Paul was charged with one count of deliberate homicide and one count of attempt to commit deliberate homicide. He pleaded not guilty. Police determined he was responsible for one set of the boot prints found outside the home. The second set was determined to have belonged to his 15-year old son, who told police that his father forced him to go to the house and he witnessed the shooting. The teen was not charged in connection to the crime.

Even though Paul and his son had disposed of their boots, detectives were still able to match their footwear to the scene. They also recovered the gun used in the shootings -- a woman turned in a Ruger .22 caliber pistol after discovering it while ice fishing six miles away from the women's home. It was registered to Paul and matched the shell casings in the home.

Paul was found guilty of both counts in December 2019 and sentenced to 220 years for each count with weapon enhancements in February 2020. He maintained his innocence.

At DeWise's sentencing, Van Hemert was able to confront the man who tried to kill her. They had never met.

"I don't know why God fully chose to save my life yet, Paul," Van Hemert said. "But one thing I do know that I've gained from this is I understand people's hurt on a whole new level. And you may have tried to have killed me, but you don't have the final say on when somebody's life is over."

Despite the unimaginable harm she suffered, Van Hemert's message was one of forgiveness and redemption expressed through a poem she wrote.

"You killed Lauren, and left me there for dead. By the grace of God, I survived and lived to be a testimony. When people ask me what they should pray for, I say for my body, your children, and your soul...," she said. "If God can forgive me an unlimited amount of times, then how could I withhold forgiveness from you, Paul?"

She gave Paul a gift, a Bible, to take with him to prison.

"She is a miracle. And the degree of courage and compassion that she displayed getting up to confront Mr. DeWise about what he did is remarkable," Eric Kitzmiller, the prosecutor in the case, told "20/20."

Paul's appeal was denied in 2022.

After years of rehabilitation, Van Hemert was able to move back to Bozeman, Montana. She returned to the things she loves, like spending time with family and being outdoors with her beloved Husky Malamute dog, Bronson. She works for a homeschooling program and even learned how to snowboard again.

Van Hemert told "20/20" she thinks of her roommate Lauren DeWise and her young daughter often. Through sharing her story of recovery and resilience, Van Hemert hopes to help others through their struggles and honor DeWise by spreading awareness for domestic violence.

While she's reminded of the shooting because of her life-altering injuries, she said she chooses to forgive Paul every day and focus on her future.

"If I see myself as a victim, then he still wins I have to see myself as a victor," Van Hemert said. "Even though he tried not only killing meI wanted to make sure that he knew that he didn't kill my soul too."