allegedly killed four University of Idaho students – saying she reacted in a similar fashion after a rape at the University of Buffalo about 30 years ago.
The next morning, Zabel discovered her roommate, who was lying in a pool of blood that she didn’t notice. Zabel explained that her inability to register the blood at first was the result of a defense mechanism against trauma.Courtesy Alanna Zabel “You feel a tsunami of chaos and horror so I can understand why she froze and why you don’t know what to do,” Zabel said.
“I understand the anguish when you read the affidavit. I also thought, ‘Oh god, you saw him!’ But you have to look beyond that as a human and see that this 19-year-old girl has experienced something atypical, horrific and traumatic,” Zabel said.