Former 'How I Met Your Mother' actor Nick Pasqual has been sentenced to 32 years to life in prison for attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend, makeup artist Allie Shehorn. The sentencing took place in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday, months after Pasqual was found guilty of the attack in May 2024.
During the hearing, Shehorn gave a powerful victim impact statement, describing the terror of being stabbed more than 20 times. 'When I was lying on the floor in a pool of my own blood, I remembered wondering if this was how my life was going to end,' she said, according to ABC7. Shehorn, who still bears visible scars on her arm and neck, told Pasqual: 'You, who I had once trusted, decided my life was something that you could take away.'
Prosecutors said Pasqual broke into Shehorn's home in Sunland, California, at around 4:30 a.m. on 23 May 2024, and stabbed her repeatedly before fleeing the state. He was arrested a week later at a US-Mexico border checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, Texas. Authorities noted that there had been prior reports of abuse, and Shehorn had filed a restraining order against Pasqual days before the attack, accusing him of choking, rape, and assault.
Shehorn was found by a family member and rushed to hospital in critical condition. She underwent 14 hours of life-saving and reconstructive surgeries and spent nearly a week in intensive care after suffering deep cuts to her neck, arms, and abdomen. The judge noted that her injuries were so severe that she was clinically dead twice.
Pasqual addressed the court, saying: 'Allie did not deserve to almost have her life taken from her. No amount of words can form an adequate apology for what she had to endure.' However, the judge questioned the sincerity of his remorse, citing a recorded phone call from April in which Pasqual mocked Shehorn's suffering. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman praised Shehorn's courage, stating that her testimony was crucial in securing the guilty verdict.
