Susan Kuhnhausen was an emergency room nurse in Portland. In September 2006, after finishing a shift at the hospital, she returned home unaware that a man had broken into her house and was waiting to kill her. The intruder was Edward Haffey, a drug-addicted criminal who had been hired to murder her by her estranged husband, Michael Kuhnhausen. When Haffey attacked, Susan immediately fought back. Because of her medical training and quick thinking, she managed to overpower the larger attacker. During the struggle she pinned him down and choked him until he lost consciousness and died, effectively killing the hitman in self-defense. Afterward, Susan called police and calmly explained what had happened. Investigators soon uncovered that her husband Michael had paid about $7,000 to have her killed so he could avoid a costly divorce. The case went to court in Multnomah County, where prosecutors presented evidence that Michael had orchestrated the murder-for-hire plot. In 2008, he was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Susan was never charged because the killing was ruled lawful self-defense. Her story later became widely known as an example of resilience and presence of mind under extreme danger. #selfdefense #thehistoriansden