ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The ex-husband of former professional boxer Christy Martin was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Tuesday. Christy Martin changed her name to Salters.
James Martin, 68, was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder, attempted manslaughter and aggravated battery.
Martin stabbed and shot Salters in their home near Apopka in 2010.
Before the sentencing, Salters gave her victim impact statement and didn't hold back.
As left the stand, she told her ex-husband she hoped he burned in hell.
"Look at me Jim. The only repayment I asked for you was to let me go," she stated in court.
James Martin didn't let Salters leave him, and on November 23, 2010, he tried to kill her.
Salters said her 20-year relationship with James Martin was built on a foundation of threats and blackmail.
"I hope other people gain strength from my story and everything I lived through for so long," Salters said.
She said when James Martin realized she was leaving him for a woman, he stabbed her in the bedroom of the couple's Orange County home near Apopka.
But the attack didn't end there.
"Before you saw I wasn't dying fast enough from stab wounds, you shot me, you shot me. You shot me with my own gun, basically point blank. But guess what mother (expletive), I survived," she said.
After her emotional testimony, Salters left the courtroom, and Martin took the stand.
Martin denied any responsibility for the 2010 attack.
"I am very sorry for what happened in November. I got stabbed. I should have turned and walked away," Martin said.
Martin went on to say it was he who was afraid of his wife, and not the other way around.
The judge dropped an attempted manslaughter charge, but sentenced Martin to the minimum mandatory of 25 years for attempted murder.