Editor's note: This version corrects the location of the murder of Rose Conrad in 2004.

Nancy P. Tyler says her life has been quiet, pleasant and uneventful in the years since her ex-husband, Richard J. Shenkman, was sentenced to 70 years in prison.

She cherishes her peaceful existence, having been kidnapped at gunpoint and having seen two homes burn to the ground during a high-profile divorce ordeal that made national headlines.

With the hope of helping others avoid becoming victims of domestic violence, Tyler will be telling her story April 1, when she is the guest speaker at a "Power of Purple" awareness luncheon at the Great Neck Country Club in Waterford.

"By sharing what happened to my children and me, I hope someone somewhere recognizes a little sooner than she otherwise would have that she's at risk, and because of the tools we've given her she escapes a possibly deadly situation," Tyler said in an email last week.

Tyler, who lives in Niantic and West Hartford, practices law at O'Brien, Tanski & Young in Hartford. She was invited to speak at the April 1 event by Sheila Horvitz, a Norwich attorney who runs a memorial fund on behalf of a client, Rose Conrad, who was killed by her estranged husband in 2004 in Norwich.

"I said yes immediately because it's a great group of people giving their time and talents to prevent domestic violence from creating more victims, an honorable and absolutely imperative goal," Tyler said.

The Power of Purple Campaign is a partnership of Hadassah of Eastern Connecticut, The Rose Conrad Memorial Fund and Safe Futures, the agency that provides services to domestic violence victims in southeastern Connecticut. Tyler serves on the board of directors of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an umbrella organization for Safe Futures and 17 other agencies.

Shenkman vowed to ruin Tyler's life after she filed for divorce in 2006 and frequently alluded to the movie "War of the Roses," in which the divorcing couple ends up dead. Tyler sought protection for herself and her two children through police and court orders and tried to move on with her life.

In 2007, Shenkman was charged with burning down Tyler's beach home in Niantic. He was free on bond when, in 2008, he acted erratic and cross-examined her at length during a four-day divorce trial.

Then on July 7, 2009, the day they were to appear in family court for a post-divorce compliance hearing, Shenkman kidnapped Tyler at gunpoint and held her hostage for 12 hours at his South Windsor home. She escaped and ran for her life, and the house went up in flames a short time later. Shenkman, who came out of the burning house and surrendered to police, has remained incarcerated since that day. He is 66.

Emma Palzere-Rae, director of development and communications at Safe Futures, said it's great that Tyler, a successful attorney and mother, has become a voice and an advocate for domestic violence victims.

"It could be any one of us," she said.

Tyler's children, whom Shenkman adopted when he married their mother, supported Tyler throughout the ordeal and then followed her into the legal profession. Her daughter is a practicing attorney and her son, who lives and works in Brooklyn, N.Y., is attending law school.

"Certainly her story is powerful," said Palzere-Rae. "But I think her story also shows how domestic violence impacts the entire community."

The March 2007 fire in the Crescent Beach section of Niantic put first responders and Tyler's neighbors at risk. A Niantic firefighter rescued Shenkman and his dogs from the roof of the burning South Washington Street home.

The July 2009 hostage incident involved more than 100 police and first responders. Tyler's law firm went into lockdown, and neighbors in South Windsor were evacuated from their homes while Shenkman held a gun to his wife's head, threatened to blow up the home and called police, family members and a reporter to recite his list of demands.

"Traditionally we think of domestic violence as between a husband and wife," Palzere-Rae said. "But it impacts the entire community."

k.florin@theday.com

Twitter: @KFLORIN

If you go

What: "Power of Purple" awareness luncheon

When: noon to 2 p.m. April 1

Where: Langley's Restaurant at the Great Neck Country Club

Cost: $36 per person

More information: www.SafeFuturesCT.org or call (860) 884-8945.