Gillies was the original target for Mark Twitchell who eventually ended up killing another man (John Brian Altinger). Mark would say he was inspired by the tv show Dexter.
BL: What was going through your head when Mark attacked you?
GT: When he first started to attack me, I knew there was no date and I was in trouble. I then remained fairly calm and figured out a plan on how I could get myself out of the garage. As the attack continued, my adrenaline and survivor instincts kicked in and all I had in my head was to stay alive and get away.
BL: Why did you not report the attack?
GT: I explain it all in my book that I was ashamed and embarrassed at what happened me. I was using an online dating website in 2008, a time when online dating was still gaining social acceptability. It’s hard to explain just how humiliating it was to have been duped into believing I would be meeting a woman when it was really a man. All I wanted to do was put the whole ordeal behind me and get on with my life. I thought that I could do just that by just trying to forget about the entire ordeal.
BL: How did you feel when you found out Mark killed Johnny Altinger?
GT: I was shocked, devastated and extremely shaken. I knew I needed to help Johnny in any way I could and that’s why I went to talk to police.
BL: Do you feel if you had reported your attack to the police, do you think it would have saved Johnny?
GT: I think that it could have possibly saved Johnny’s life but Twitchell would have got off on some small charge and then continued to kill in an even smarter way. There would have definitely been many more victims.
BL: After going through all of this, has it made you change anything in your life style?
GT: After the attack, I was so happy to be alive that I went to visit my family right away. I truly don’t take anything for granted anymore and try to live my life to the fullest.
BL: What made you decided to write the book?
GT: I started writing as a healing mechanism after the incident. As time went on, I realized that it might make a good book for true crime fans. I also figured that it could help people that are currently using online dating and warn them not to make the same mistakes that I made.
BL: Where can everyone buy your book at?
GT: You can go to my website at www.tetreault.org to view a full list of places on where you can buy the book but Amazon is one of the best places to purchase the book.
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