Portland woman surprises hitman, strangles him with bare hands

PORTLAND, Ore. (KABC) -- A Portland woman came home one night and found a stranger in her house with a hammer and the intent to kill her.

Susan Walters came home eight years ago to find Edward Haffey waiting inside with a hammer. A 14-minute struggle ensued, until Walters strangled Haffey with her bare hands.

"I told him, 'Tell me who sent you here and I will call you an ambulance,'" Walters said.

Haffey never told her and later died. Police, however, discovered that her husband, Michael Khunhausen, had paid the attacker $50,000 for the job.

Walters eventually agreed to a plea deal that gave him a 10-year sentence.

Khunhausen goes before a parole board later this year, and Walters is concerned for her safety. She plans to testify at his parole hearing.

"Although I've forgiven my ex-husband for who he became, what he did to me and all those who he loved, I cannot forget what he's capable of," Walters said.