A woman paralysed by her jealous ex when he caught her in bed with a new man is now set to compete at the Paralympics.
Tracy Otto, 27, was on a second date with new beau Ricky Riessle when her ex Francpiero Del Medico, 33, broke in and found them asleep in bed, deputies said.
He told them "if it’s not me, it’s nobody else!” and sexually assaulted her with a pellet gun, records show, which he bought from Walmart.
The thug shot Ricky in the head and face, Tracy in the back and genitals, and both were stabbed in the back - severing her spinal cord and paralysing her from the neck down, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Incredibly, the monstrous attack saw Tracy and Ricky grow closer, as she underwent physical therapy to learn to swallow, eat and sit up.
She uses a wheelchair, and found a love for archery - using her mouth and then shoulders.
Now she competes professionally and is set to join the USA team at the Paralympics in Paris, France in 2024.
Medico admitted all charges and was sentenced to 40 years at Hillsborough County Courthouse, Tampa, Florida, in January 2023.
Tracy, an archer, from Tampa, Florida, said: “I remember waking up confused but hearing the voice and knowing it was my ex-boyfriend.
Tracy and Medico split two weeks prior when he came to the house and saw her and Ricky in bed together, before going out to buy a pellet gun and returning, on October 24 2019.
“I was in and out of consciousness but heard him call the police and say ‘I’ve just killed my ex girlfriend and her new boyfriend.’
“I thought he’d killed us.”
The next thing Tracy remembers is waking up in Tampa General Hospital, Florida, two days later and setting eyes on Ricky.
Medico was arrested and charged with two counts of burglary with assault, two counts of attempted murder in the first year, one count of sexual battery, and two counts of aggravated bodily harm.
She said: “They had kept us apart for a while to make sure it wasn’t Ricky who had hurt me.”
Tracy was left paralysed from the neck down but still has some movement in her arms and hands and had to have her left eye removed from where the pellet hit her.
She said: “I spent a year in physical therapy.
“I couldn’t even sit up without passing out.”
“Ricky and I were driving and I just said I wanted to do it and ended up finding an adaptive course.”
She originally learned to shoot with her mouth, before being able to do it with her shoulders.
The attack has strengthened Ricky and Tracy’s relationship but the pair have struggled with the weight of the ongoing case which finally came to a close in January.
He pleaded guilty to all charges.
Tracy said: "I was really depressed before the trial.
“I couldn’t drive and was stuck at home.”
Ricky said: “When I heard him say guilty it felt like a fairy-tale.
“I’ve been sleeping like a baby since it has all been over.”
Now Tracy is focusing on training for the Paralympics while Ricky is working in adaptive sports – providing opportunities for disabled children.
Tracy Otto, 27, was on a second date with new beau Ricky Riessle when her ex Francpiero Del Medico, 33, broke in and found them asleep in bed, deputies said.
He told them "if it’s not me, it’s nobody else!” and sexually assaulted her with a pellet gun, records show, which he bought from Walmart.
The thug shot Ricky in the head and face, Tracy in the back and genitals, and both were stabbed in the back - severing her spinal cord and paralysing her from the neck down, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Incredibly, the monstrous attack saw Tracy and Ricky grow closer, as she underwent physical therapy to learn to swallow, eat and sit up.
She uses a wheelchair, and found a love for archery - using her mouth and then shoulders.
Now she competes professionally and is set to join the USA team at the Paralympics in Paris, France in 2024.
Medico admitted all charges and was sentenced to 40 years at Hillsborough County Courthouse, Tampa, Florida, in January 2023.
Tracy, an archer, from Tampa, Florida, said: “I remember waking up confused but hearing the voice and knowing it was my ex-boyfriend.
Tracy and Medico split two weeks prior when he came to the house and saw her and Ricky in bed together, before going out to buy a pellet gun and returning, on October 24 2019.
“I was in and out of consciousness but heard him call the police and say ‘I’ve just killed my ex girlfriend and her new boyfriend.’
“I thought he’d killed us.”
The next thing Tracy remembers is waking up in Tampa General Hospital, Florida, two days later and setting eyes on Ricky.
Medico was arrested and charged with two counts of burglary with assault, two counts of attempted murder in the first year, one count of sexual battery, and two counts of aggravated bodily harm.
She said: “They had kept us apart for a while to make sure it wasn’t Ricky who had hurt me.”
Tracy was left paralysed from the neck down but still has some movement in her arms and hands and had to have her left eye removed from where the pellet hit her.
She said: “I spent a year in physical therapy.
“I couldn’t even sit up without passing out.”
“Ricky and I were driving and I just said I wanted to do it and ended up finding an adaptive course.”
She originally learned to shoot with her mouth, before being able to do it with her shoulders.
The attack has strengthened Ricky and Tracy’s relationship but the pair have struggled with the weight of the ongoing case which finally came to a close in January.
He pleaded guilty to all charges.
Tracy said: "I was really depressed before the trial.
“I couldn’t drive and was stuck at home.”
Ricky said: “When I heard him say guilty it felt like a fairy-tale.
“I’ve been sleeping like a baby since it has all been over.”
Now Tracy is focusing on training for the Paralympics while Ricky is working in adaptive sports – providing opportunities for disabled children.
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