The Miami woman whose family says she was beaten on Valentine's Day by a roommate she found on Craigslist is speaking for the first time since the alleged attack.
The first words 23-year-old Danielle Jones said were "I want chocolate milk," mother Aimee Nikolove said Wednesday. "She said 'thank you.'"
Jones also took a stroll outside the hospital Wednesday, which didn't look possible a month ago.
"I've been praying for it everyday. Everyone's been praying, so many people contacted me and asked for updates," Nikolove said.
It's the first breath of fresh air and being out in the sunlight since Jones was knocked into a coma.
"Everyday it gets better, I see more and more of Danielle," Nikolove said. "I see more and more of Danielle coming back, she talks to me I spend nights with her. She hugs me, tells me she loves me. She's back."
Danielle was living in a downtown Miami apartment with 35-year-old Byron Mitchell, a roommate she found on Craigslist about two weeks prior. Prosecutors say Mitchell strangled and beat Danielle, putting her in the hospital.
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Mitchell has claimed self defense, telling police Jones came after him with a knife. He was arrested Feb. 15 on an attempted murder charge.
Jones woke from her coma just days ago. Her mother said she's hoping for a full recovery.
"It looks bright because she's got a second chance in life, she's still here," she said. "We're gonna make the best out of it, we're gonna look forward and her life from now on is gonna be much better then it's ever been before."
Jones' family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with her recovery, which can be found here.
