PEARLAND – One Pearland couple said they are lucky to be alive and on the road to recovery after a burglar threw a cinderblock at their home and began to attack them with a hammer.
“It seemed so surreal. I don’t even remember time going by,” homeowner David DeHoyos said.
David and Lisa DeHoyos said it is frankly a miracle they are alive to tell their story.
On April 17, Pearland police said the suspect, whom they believe to be 32-year-old Robert Herbert Jr., threw a cinderblock at the Dehoyos’ backdoor and continued inside, grabbing a hammer, destroying the home, and stealing.
“It was a typical Saturday night. We were both going to bed,” David said. “I heard a commotion downstairs. I saw that he (the intruder) had a hammer. He was beating on our walls and ceiling.”
David said he confronted the intruder and tried to stop him from destroying their home.
“We struggled. We were chest to chest,” David said.
Lisa said she came downstairs and tried to help. She said at one point, she even got in between David and the intruder.
“I was standing in front of him,” Lisa said.
The couple has extensive wounds, which include head trauma, multiple stitches, staples, bruises and damage to their eyes.
“I have a concussion. My orbital bone is shattered,” David said.
“I have staples that wrap in between here, like 36 of them,” Lisa said while pointing down her skull.
Those were just a few of the couple’s injuries.
“I have some lower back issues that have been magnified,” David said.
He now has to use a walker while he recovers. David said his eyes were also injured, and he hopes one day he will be able to see again.
Police said Herbet is currently behind bars.
“We are so lucky to be together still,” Lisa said while bruised, but later smiling at her husband.
“To be able to nurse your mate back to health is really different,” David said. “It takes on new meaning for us.”
They have gained perspective through recovery, help, and support from friends, family, and strangers. They pray and are being prayed over every day, they said.
“We’re grateful for God loving us, for giving us another day, and for all the people who’ve reached out to us,” Lisa said.
They said they are recovering.
“It looks pretty positive,” David. “Time will be the greatest healer.”
They said this is a divine reminder of what matters most.
“Just be thankful for every day that you have,” David said.
The couple has set up a GoFundMe account to help them with medical expenses.