She Escaped a Serial Killer by Jumping From His Trunk — Decades Later, Jennifer Asbenson Is Turning Her Trauma Into Hope

Jennifer Asbenson was just 19 years old when a seemingly ordinary ride to work turned into a terrifying fight for her life. The man who offered to help her was Andrew Urdiales, a former Marine who would later be convicted of murdering eight women. Trapped inside his car and unsure whether she would ever see her family again, Asbenson relied on her instincts and determination to escape. More than three decades later, she is sharing her story again, hoping her survival can give a voice to women who never made it home.

The ordeal began on September 27, 1992, in Southern California. Asbenson had missed her bus while trying to get to her overnight shift at a workplace in Palm Springs. Urdiales offered her a ride, and she accepted. After he had asked for her phone number during an earlier encounter, she gave him a fake one because she did not want to encourage his interest. The following morning, he returned to her workplace and offered to drive her home. Once she was inside the car, his behavior changed dramatically. According to Asbenson’s account, he confronted her about the false number, attacked her and restrained her.

Urdiales drove her to an isolated desert area, where he assaulted and brutally beat her. When she tried to get away, he caught her and locked her inside the trunk of his vehicle. With little certainty about where he was taking her or what he intended to do next, Asbenson realized that escaping might be her only chance of survival. While the car was moving, the bindings around her wrists loosened, allowing her to free her hands. She then worked her way through the trunk’s interior and managed to reach the release mechanism. When the vehicle slowed, she jumped out and ran for help.

A passing truck carrying two Marines stopped to assist her, and she was able to contact the authorities. Yet surviving the attack did not mean the nightmare was immediately over. Asbenson has said that investigators initially did not believe her account. With her attacker still at large, fear and uncertainty followed her for years. She later described how the experience affected her mental health and disrupted her life, as she struggled with the knowledge that the man who had attacked her had not been brought to justice.

The breakthrough came in 1997, when investigators in Illinois connected a firearm previously confiscated from Urdiales to three murders. During questioning, he confessed to killing women in Illinois and directed investigators toward crimes he had committed in California. He also admitted to abducting and attacking Asbenson. Authorities ultimately linked him to eight murders committed between 1986 and 1996. His confession confirmed that Asbenson had survived an encounter with a serial killer, while also revealing the devastating scale of the violence inflicted on other women.

Asbenson later testified during legal proceedings against Urdiales, helping ensure that her experience was heard alongside the cases of the victims who did not survive. Urdiales was convicted of murders committed in Illinois and California and received death sentences. In 2018, while awaiting execution in prison, he died by suicide. Although his death ended the possibility of further questioning or a direct confrontation in court, Asbenson’s testimony had already become part of the effort to hold him accountable for his crimes.

In 2019, Asbenson published her memoir, The Girl in the Treehouse, which explores not only the attack but also her difficult childhood growing up in rural Southern California without basic utilities. She has explained that the resilience she developed early in life helped her endure the ordeal. Revisiting those memories to write the book was painful, but she wanted her experiences to reach people who might be facing their own trauma and searching for a way forward.

Today, Asbenson maintains a largely private life while continuing to share her story through interviews and true-crime programs, including the documentary series I Survived a Serial Killer. She is also a mother to her daughter, Geo, and often shares glimpses of her life with her dogs. Rather than defining herself solely by what happened to her, she has spoken about wanting to support other survivors and remind them that their lives can continue beyond even the most frightening experiences.

Looking back, Asbenson has said she would not change her decision to accept the ride if it meant she could continue speaking for the women who never had the chance to escape. Her story remains a painful reminder of the danger hidden behind an ordinary encounter, but it is also a testament to survival, courage and the long process of reclaiming a life after trauma.

Source: PEOPLE