‘I Thought I Was Going To Die,’ Says Woman Who Fatally Stabbed A Man Who Claimed He Helped Cover Up Natalee Holloway Disappearance
When Emily Heistand, 23, fatally stabbed 32-year-old John Ludwick in March 2018, she claims he had been stalking and harassing her for months, telling friends that they were in a relationship, when they weren’t.
TELL DR. PHIL YOUR STORY: Have a story in the news?
“I thought I was going to die,” says Emily of the morning she claims Ludwick ambushed her outside her home and attempted to kidnap her at knifepoint.
Continuing, she says, “He had a knife to my neck. He told me he was going to kill me if I didn’t give him the keys.” She says she managed to wrestle the knife away from Ludwick, then stabbed him in the abdomen.
According to police, Ludwick then fled the scene and collapsed a few blocks away. He was later pronounced dead at an area hospital.
“I feel a lot safer now that he’s gone,” says Emily.
Ludwick’s death made international headlines. He had claimed to be a former friend of Joran Van der Sloot, a prime suspect in the disappearance and possible murder of Natalee Holloway. Holloway was an 18-year-old from Alabama who vanished in 2005 while on a high school graduation trip to Aruba. In 2017 Ludwick publicly claimed that Van der Sloot had paid him thousands of dollars to dispose of Natalee Holloway’s remains five years after her death.
In an exclusive daytime interview airing Monday, Dr. Phil sits down with Emily to talk about the day Ludwick died, and what she says he told her about his claimed involvement with Van der Sloot and the ongoing mystery over Natalee Holloway’s disappearance.
Check here to find out where you can watch.
TELL DR. PHIL YOUR STORY: Have a story Dr. Phil won’t believe?
