The brutal hammer attack Ingrid Ellerbe suffered nearly eight months ago outside her apartment in Farmington Hills has left her with dents in her skull, facial nerve damage, and ongoing problems with her eye and hands.

The psychological effects of the assault are just as horrible: Ellerbe can't feel safe ever, even in her own home. She is afraid to answer the door, is always looking over her shoulder, is paranoid to go down a flight of stairs — and gets extremely nervous simply to have people walking behind her. Her trust in others has been shattered.

And several times a day, every day, she has to tell herself out loud that her two attackers can't hurt her anymore.

That's just some of what lingers for Ellerbe, as expressed in a victim's impact statement read by Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Ken Frazee during sentencing Sept. 15 for the Farmington man and woman responsible for the horrific crime against her last January.

The pair, Jasmine McReynolds, 20, and Joshua Miller, 18, were ordered by Circuit Judge Rae Lee Chabot to spend the next 18 years, 9 months to 70 years in prison for multiple felony counts stemming from the attack outside the Fairmont Park Apartments near Drake and 9 Mile roads.

Even those accustomed to dealing with such tragedies were disturbed by it, Frazee said, calling it "a very violent crime — one that shocked the experts."

"It has been eight months, and I've yet to be at peace. No one should have to live in fear," Ellerbe's statement said.

Last month, McReynolds pleaded no contest and Miller pleaded guilty as charged for the attack that left Ellerbe broken and bloodied as she fought for her life — and ultimately escaped from the two strangers who ambushed her outside her apartment. Testifying in court earlier this year, Ellerge recounted the nightmarish event where she was hit repeatedly in the head with a hammer and then forced into her car where she was choked, had a plastic bag stuffed into her mouth and was told she was going to die.

Related: 'You gotta die,' carjacker told Farmington Hills woman

Ellerbe eventually was able to jump out of the vehicle and was assisted by a neighbor who heard her cries for help. She assumed Miller and McReynolds drove away but was too frightened to look, she said.

A tip from a resident led police to the vehicle two days later while Miller was driving it in the area. Miller crashed it trying to get away from police, then he and McReynolds fled on foot but were arrested a short time later. Police also recovered Ellerbe's purse containing credit cards and other property taken from her.

Chabot said she was "completely baffled" by the string of crimes committed by two who had no history of drug or alcohol addiction, and no prior convictions.

"I'm baffled by how this came about," she said.

In addressing the court, McReynolds said "I take full responsibility for what I did. I apologize to the woman affected ...I'm sorry for the hurt caused you. I hope you find it in your hear to forgive me. I'm very remorseful. Very," she said.

McReynolds also said she was "in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person," and asked for a chance to prove that she is "a good person, not a criminal."

Miller, too, apologized in the courtroom. "Nobody should go through that," he said.

Miller also said he is as disappointed in himself as his family is, adding "I will do what I gotta do to change my ways."

Minutes before Miller was sentenced, attorney Claude Chapman told Chabot that Miller wanted to withdraw his plea — which was denied. "It's too late. It's sentencing," Chabot said.

Related: Pair faces sentencing in brutal hammer attack on woman

Both Miller and McReynolds were sentenced for assault with intent to murder, armed robbery, carjacking, unlawful imprisonment, second-degree home invasion and assault of/resisting a police officer. Miller also was sentenced for fleeing a police officer and stealing Ellerbe's credit cards.

Miller was also handed down a concurrent sentence of 15-60 years for attempting a similar crime in Farmington nine days before the Farmington Hills incident.

Hometown Life reporter Aileen Wingblad can be reached at awingblad@hometownlife.com, 248-390-3976 or Twitter:@awingblad