SURVIVING: Ernest Pine

The gist

Ernest Pine attempted to murder his neighbor Linda in August 2008 in a premeditated, violent attack that included sexual assault, strangulation, shooting, and stabbing. Linda survived by playing dead and writing Pine's name in her own blood, enabling police to arrest him. He pleaded guilty to seven felonies and received a 20-year sentence but was released on parole in August 2025 after serving only 17 years. The episode also investigates a strikingly similar unsolved 1992 murder of Elena Sanchez Hawkins in nearby Elizabethtown, suggesting Pine may have additional victims.

Key takeaways

• The 2008 attack: On August 25, 2008, Pine forced his way into Linda's home under the pretense of discussing a boat dock, then attacked her with a gun, hunting knife, and zip ties. He sexually assaulted her with objects, shot at her (the gun jammed), slashed her throat ear-to-ear, and stabbed her repeatedly while she played dead.

• Linda's survival and identification: Linda survived by lying motionless on towels while Pine washed his knife above her, then wrote "Ernest Pine" in her own blood on the utility room wall—critical evidence that led to his immediate arrest.

• Physical evidence: Investigators found Pine's .22 caliber handgun (jammed, matching the wall bullet), hunting knives with human blood, zip ties, bloody shoes with matching footprints, and items used in the sexual assault—all corroborating Linda's account.

• Quick guilty plea: Rather than face trial with overwhelming evidence, Pine pleaded guilty in June 2009 to first-degree burglary, attempted murder, first-degree rape, sodomy, and kidnapping. He received a 20-year sentence served concurrently.

• Elena Sanchez Hawkins (1992): Sixteen years before Linda's attack, 29-year-old Elena was murdered in her Elizabethtown home—throat cut ear-to-ear, hands bound, while her three-year-old son was present. The case remains unsolved. Elena and Linda shared physical similarities (dark-haired, short, around 5 feet tall) and attack patterns (throat cuts, binding, home invasion).

• Pine's Elizabethtown connection: Pine lived in Elizabethtown in 1992 when Elena was killed. He was stationed at Fort Knox, worked at a brake factory on the night shift, delivered pizzas for Domino's, and reportedly had a drinking problem—all placing him in proximity to Elena's neighborhood during the murder window.

• Unresolved DNA and investigation: Police told reporters they saw similarities between the cases and had DNA evidence from Elena's crime scene, but no official connection to Pine has been made. Despite family requests, authorities have not tested Pine's DNA against Elena's evidence or confirmed whether he's been ruled out.

• Pine's early release and ongoing threat: After serving only 85% of his 20-year sentence, Pine was released on parole August 19, 2025. He lives approximately one hour from Linda despite a 10-year no-contact order. Linda has required constant companion supervision since 2008 and returned to therapy following his release.

• Financial and emotional devastation: Linda's medical debt included a $250,000 lien on her home. Ernest transferred his assets to his ex-wife before divorce, protecting them from civil suit. Linda received no compensation despite life-altering injuries requiring 19 hours of surgery, 17 pints of blood transfusion, and hundreds of stitches.

Notable quotes

"He brutalized this woman and then went home to make supper and watch TV like nothing happened...somehow managed to survive so she could warn others about this church going father who masqueraded as a good man." — Ashley Flowers

"I don't care how many bible studies he led. You don't get to torture a woman and then shave literal years off your prison time just because you said your prayers." — Brit (co-host)

"Elena never met a stranger. Like, she loved people and she loved to sing...nothing scared her. She never backed down from a fight to protect the people she loved." — Elena's family

Worth a full listen?

Listen to the full episode if you live in Kentucky or are interested in unsolved crimes, want to understand how survivors rebuild after violent trauma, or are willing to contact authorities with information about Elena Sanchez Hawkins's 1992 murder.