Murder suspect's victim speaks out
Posted at: 08/23/2012 10:23 PM
| Updated at: 08/24/2012 10:52 AM
By: Jill Galus, KOB Eyewitness News 4
Brian Pulliam, 38, is accused of shooting Kirsten Landeau and Dillon Cearfoss in the head Tuesday night, while inside their northeast Albuquerque home.
As reported by KOB Eyewitness News 4, family members immediately suspected Pulliam of the killings. They said Landeau had just ended her relationship with him the day before.
According to the criminal complaint, the couple had a history of domestic disputes. Pulliam also has a lengthy and violent criminal past.
He served time in prison for his role in nearly beating a man to death in downtown Albuquerque in 1996.
Bryan Patterson survived serious brain injuries.
He said if anyone would have asked him 16 years ago how he felt about Pulliam, it would have been sheer anger.
But, he has come a long way and has a whole new outlook.
"Things are good again, I'm finally, it's taken me 10 to 12 years to finally get to where I can say, 'Okay, it was worth it that I survived, it was worth it that I'm still around,'" Patterson said.
But flash-back to Halloween night, 1996. Then 29-year-old Patterson was brutally attacked and left for dead in a downtown alley; an event that is completely erased from his mind.
"I had a lot of friends who were there and saw it and were like, 'Yeah, it's probably good you don't remember it because it was really bad, it was really bad," Patterson said.
Ten weeks later, when Patterson woke up from a coma, life as he knew it was gone; but his personality was untouched.
"My brother for Christmas gave me a Star Trek calendar and January first was a picture of Captain Kirk and I remember my girlfriend asking me, 'Who is this,' and I was like, 'James T. Kirk.' 'What's the 'T' stand for,' 'Tiberius, it stands for Tiberius, what kind of Trekkie wouldn't know that,'" Patterson recalled.
Patterson said it was his first memory post-beating.
Pulliam was part of a group of six "skin-heads" who attacked Patterson Halloween night. He spent four years in prison for his part in the crime.
Patterson said he is not surprised Pulliam is now accused of murdering two people.
"He needs to be isolated and removed from society for society's own good; it's just sad it had to get to this point," Patterson said. "Two young, beautiful people who could have done so many things and had such potential, and now that's gone."
Patterson is reminded every day by his physical and mental limitations, but said he will never fully understand why he was so lucky to survive. For the first time, he said he truly believes he was lucky and does not spend a single day wasting the second chance he has worked so hard to embrace.
"It is a good feeling - it's a good feeling to feel like you're worth something again," Patterson said.
One of the things that has helped Patterson come so far, he said, was learning how to take all his anger and channel it into motivation.
He now speaks about his experience to others who have suffered brain injuries.
> Double homicide suspect has criminal history
> Brother of victim believes double murder was vengeful
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