In 2006, a jealous husband paid a hitman $50,000 to bash in his wife’s skull with a claw hammer and fake a burglary gone wrong.
The hitman ambushed 51-year-old ER nurse Susan Kuhnhausen in her bedroom.
Big mistake.
Drawing on 30 years of handling violent patients and self-defense training, Susan wrestled away the hammer, fought like hell, and strangled the attacker to death with her bare hands.
The husband? Arrested, convicted, and died in prison.
Moral: Never underestimate a trauma nurse.
Portland, 2006: Husband hires hitman with a hammer for $50k to murder his estranged wife, Susan Kuhnhausen.
Hitman attacks. Susan fights back, gets him in a chokehold.
As his face turns blue, she growls:
“TELL ME WHO SENT YOU HERE AND I’LL CALL A FUCKING AMBULANCE!”
He doesn’t talk. He doesn’t survive.
Susan does.
2006: Broke and bitter husband hires shady hitman Edward Haffey to kill his wife Susan for the house and insurance money.
Hitman breaks in, swings hammer, thinks it’s easy cash.
Susan, a 51-year-old emergency room nurse who’s wrestled thrashing patients for decades: “Hold my stethoscope.”
She disarms him, bites, hits, and chokes him out.
Hitman dead. Husband jailed for 10 years (dies before release).
Susan sues him for $1M to ensure he can’t try again.
True story, 2006: Husband pays $50,000 for a hitman to hammer-murder his wife and stage a robbery.
Hitman: Armed with claw hammer, hiding in bedroom.
Wife: Susan Kuhnhausen, veteran ER nurse trained in restraining violent people.
Outcome: Hitman strangled dead on the floor. Wife walks away bruised but alive.
Lesson: ER nurses deal with worse every shift. Don’t bring a hammer to a nurse fight.