The ordeal lasted the rest of the day — more than seven hours — and Stubbendieck twice tried to end Alicia’s pain by suffocating her. After four hours in, he tried to do it as she slept, but she awoke and looked so frightened he stopped. She cut her wrists more, and he asked if she was ready. She said she was not — she wanted more time. An hour later, he asked if she was ready and she said yes. He tried again to suffocate her, but it looked to him like she was suffering even more and so he couldn’t go through with it. When he left her about 9:30 p.m., she was whispering.