INSIDE EDITION sits down with a woman who was viciously attacked by another woman throwing acid in her face, in what was the second such attack in one week.
"I felt like my skin was melting."
It happened in a heartbeat, and for no apparent reason. Derri Velarde of Mesa, Arizona carries the scars of a senseless acid attack.
"She stopped, turned and looked like she was gonna call me a name. Then she just threw the cup on me," recounted Velarde.
The female attacker was a complete stranger. The cup contained acid, which hit her in the face and splashed down her back.
"So the acid burned through your clothing?" INSIDE EDITION's Meghan Alexander asked Velarde.
"Oh yeah—it disintegrated my clothes," replied Velarde.
A shocking crime in Mesa, Arizona, but here's what makes it doubly shocking. The same thing happened just days before, when Bethany Storro was drenched in acid by an attacker in Vancouver, Washington—1400 miles away!
INSIDE EDITION showed a sketch of the suspect who attacked Bethany Storro along with the sketch of Velarde's attacker.
Alexander asked, "Is there any way these two attacks could be related?"
Velarde responded, "I really don't think so. It's just two horrific incidences, days apart."
Both attacks happened moments after the victims had gotten out of their cars. Velarde was right outside her home, and her attacker didn't even say a word.
"Just the look on her face—it was pure evil," recounted Velarde.
The 41-year-old mother of five was luckier than Bethany Storro. Her 18-year-old daughter Jasmine was at home when Velarde came rushing through the door, soaked in acid.
"It looked like her skin was melting off her face," said Jasmine.
Jasmine immediately called 911.
"I ran in and dropped my purse, turned on the sink and started rinsing my eye, 'cause I was afraid I'd lose my sight," explained Velarde.
Velarde continued, "My daughter's boyfriend helped me get my clothes off. I turned on the shower and jumped under the water."
The water lessened the damage done by the acid. Velarde's wounds will heal, but the real scars are the emotional ones, and the knowledge that whoever did this to her is still out there.
"Are you forever looking over your shoulder now?" asked Alexander.
"That's what's affecting me the most. I'll feel so much better when the person behind this is caught," said Velarde.
To see a video of more of our interview, click here.
