Brutal attack of Melissa Dohme by Robert Burton detailed on 20/20 On ID: In An Instant

True crime TV show 20/20 On ID: In An Instant on Investigation Discovery will detail the case of Melissa Dohme, an abuse survivor who was brutally attacked and left for dead by her ex-boyfriend, Robert Burton.

On January 24, 2012, emergency first responders were dispatched to a residential area in Clearwater, Florida, after receiving a 911 call about an attack on a woman. When they arrived at the scene, they discovered Dohme lying on the street, covered in blood.

Dohme was weak, but she was able to identify herself and name her attacker.

She was airlifted to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, where she was listed in critical condition. She had been stabbed 32 times and as a result, suffered from a broken jaw, shattered facial bones, and severed nerves.

Trauma surgeons worked on Dohme for five hours, during which time she flat-lined several times. And due to massive blood loss, she had a stroke in her cerebellum, but despite her injuries, she survived.

Three hours after the attack, Burton was found slumped over in his vehicle that crashed into a building. He had taken a large number of sleeping pills in a failed suicide attempt.

He was later arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder.

During the trial, Dohme stated that on the day of the attack, Burton contacted her and asked to see her. The pair had broken up three months prior, following a domestic incident, and he wanted closure to move on. He added that after seeing her, he would leave her alone forever.

Dohme agreed to see him. As soon as she walked out of her home, she stated that he ambushed her. He stabbed her 19 times in the head, neck, and face, and he stabbed her 13 more times in the hands and arms as she was trying to defend herself.

Two teenagers nearby heard her screaming and tried to intervene before calling 911 for help.

In 2013, Burton pled guilty to attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

20/20 On ID: In An Instant — The Woman Who Refused To Die, airs at 11 pm on Investigation Discovery.