Woman assaulted, her possessions burned; family speaks out about domestic violence

A woman remains hospitalized more than a week after she was found brutally beaten outside a burning trailer in north Spokane, and her family hopes the suspect will be charged with attempted murder.

On the night of Oct. 3, Susan Sebesta was being evicted from her home at 3617 N. Atlantic St. and was moving her belongings into a trailer in the backyard. A neighbor told police the home had been a “problem house,” according to court documents.

While moving, Sebesta was accompanied by her boyfriend, 47-year-old Carlos Lerma.

According to court documents, Lerma was upset about something and the couple got into an argument. At about 11:20 p.m. fire investigators received a report that the trailer had burned down. They found Sebesta on the ground outside – unconscious, covered in soot, with a swollen eye socket, a broken nose, two fractured ribs and a cut on her scalp.

Doctors at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center later determined Sebesta, 46, had serious brain damage. Her son, Donny Sebesta, said he believes Lerma beat her and “left her for dead.”

“They had some kind of disagreement, and he flipped a switch and went to town on her,” Donny Sebesta said.

His mother couldn’t immediately talk to investigators, but residents offered Lerma’s name, according to court documents. About two hours after the assault, a Spokane police detective arrested Lerma at his apartment in the West Central Neighborhood.

Lerma is being held in the Spokane County Jail on a second-degree assault charge.

Susan Sebesta still has difficulty speaking, but she remembers being beaten inside the trailer, her son said. “She still doesn’t know how she got out of there, so that’s a mystery,” he said.

Now the family hopes to send a message about domestic violence.

“We’re reaching out to the community to let them know that this can happen to anybody,” Donny Sebesta said. “You can meet a guy and he can turn out to be a really bad person. If you have any warning signs that something like this might happen, get out now.”

Susan Sebesta was transferred from Sacred Heart to St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute on Wednesday, and her family is bracing for a long recovery process. Donny Sebesta said all her possessions were destroyed in the fire.

The family is asking for donations to cover medical bills and other expenses. Their GoFundMe campaign had raised $840 as of Wednesday afternoon.