Nearly two decades after her life was turned upside down by betrayal, Leigh Moore says she has no regrets about choosing compassion over bitterness. Her extraordinary story—woven with heartbreak, faith, and forgiveness—has now inspired a Hollywood film, Roofman, starring Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst.

“I chose to forgive him,” Moore told The Christian Post. “He didn’t mean to hurt me. And it’s just easier to forgive than to carry that anger around. You’re only hurting yourself if you hold onto it.”

The movie revisits the bizarre case of Jeffrey Allen Manchester, an ex-paratrooper who became known as the “Roofman” for breaking into McDonald’s restaurants through their ceilings. After escaping a North Carolina prison in 2004, Manchester hid for months inside a Toys “R” Us before wandering into Crossroads Church one Sunday.

There he met Moore, a newly divorced mother of three. “We ate donuts, wore tennis shoes, and nobody cared what you wore or what your background was,” she recalled of her church family. “You were just there to serve each other, be supportive and develop friendships.”

Manchester, introducing himself as “John Zorn,” was welcomed with open arms. Soon, he and Moore were decorating Christmas trees, sharing dinners, and laughing with her kids. “He was like a child at Christmas,” she said. “We went to Target and bought $300 worth of ornaments… he wanted light blue and silver. I used those ornaments for years.”

Everything came crashing down on January 5, 2005—Moore’s 40th birthday. Police arrived at her workplace with a photo of Manchester, revealing his true identity as a dangerous fugitive. That evening, she courageously helped set a trap that led to his peaceful arrest at her apartment.

Though she was shocked and heartbroken, Moore refused to let bitterness consume her. “I’m a very forgiving and trusting person,” she said. “That can work in your favor or against you. But I understand why he did what he did… he didn’t lie about who he was as a person. He showed me who he was every day.”

Moore visited Manchester once in jail for closure, where he apologized repeatedly. Over time, their relationship evolved into a friendship. “We just talk like old friends,” she shared. “We still communicate.”

Her willingness to forgive, she says, stems directly from her faith. “We all make mistakes. Everybody has something they’re ashamed of and something they’re proud of. None of us is perfect. It’s just easier to let it go.”

Moore believes her church’s grace and Pastor Ron Smith’s warmth left a lasting mark on Manchester, who once told her he kept returning because “he just found a new home, or he’d been reborn.”

Looking back, Moore hopes her story inspires others to practice compassion. “I’ve had 20 years to think about it,” she reflected. “It’s not something I dwell on anymore. I just hope people watching the movie take away the same lesson I did: that forgiveness frees you. Holding onto anger doesn’t.”