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QUINCY, ILL. -- A Tri-State native is trying to close a traumatic chapter of her life.

You'll recall last year we told you Quincy woman Mary Kay Beckman was attacked outside of her home in Las Vegas by a man she used to date. Click here to read that story.

Wade Ridley was sentenced this week to 70 years in prison for Beckman's vicious attack.

Beckman was in the courtroom when the sentence was read by the judge.  She says she was encouraged when the judge told those in the courtroom that her case was the "most heinous" she had ever been a part of.

Beckman said, "When I heard the words that he got the maximum sentence and this amazing sense of relief fled out of me."

But this day was a long time coming. Just last January Mary Kay Beckman was getting out of her car at home when a man attacked her ... stabbing and slicing her with a knife until it broke.

Beckman said, "He had put his foot on my neck to stop my breathing while he was kicking on the side of my head."

Beckman was left for dead and woke up in the hospital ... with no memory of the attack because of her head trauma.

The vicious assault went unsolved until February of last year, when police arrested Wade Ridley ... a man Beckman had dated a short time. That's when she learned how lucky she was to be alive. Ridley was only arrested after he stabbed another ex-girlfriend to death with a machete and butcher knife.

It's been a long year for Beckman, between following the court case and recovering from her wounds and head trauma. She's gotten through it with the help of family and friends in Quincy and Northeast Missouri.

Although the case is over and her stab wounds now scarred over ... Beckman still struggles with the mental wounds left behind which only time can heal.

Beckman said, "Amazingly I tell people that I feel stronger than I have felt in a long time. How can something so tragic turn make me fell better than I ever have?"

In the meantime, Beckman is looking forward to getting back to work as well as becoming a public speaker to share her experience with others.

Beckman said, "I am very lucky and blessed to be alive and God played a role in that."