Actor Nick Pasqual has been sentenced to 32 years to life in prison for the brutal 2024 attack on his estranged girlfriend, Hollywood makeup artist Allie Shehorn.
Pasqual, who appeared in shows including How I Met Your Mother, was convicted last month of attempted murder, first-degree residential burglary with a person present, and injuring a spouse, cohabitant, fiancé, boyfriend, girlfriend or child’s parent.
The attack happened in May 2024 at Shehorn’s home in Sunland, California, after she had ended the relationship and taken out a restraining order against him.
During the trial, Shehorn took the witness stand with visible scars on her arm and neck as she described the violence she endured.
At Tuesday’s sentencing, she delivered a powerful victim impact statement, recalling the terrifying moments after she was stabbed.
“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,” Shehorn said. “I was terrified, I was in pain.”
She then addressed Pasqual directly.
“You, who I had once trusted, decided my life was something that you could take away,” she said.
Shehorn testified that the relationship had turned abusive before the stabbing. She described one violent argument before their breakup, saying Pasqual punched holes in a door after she tried to lock herself away from him.
“I locked the door and he just started punching holes in that door and broke that open, and I just ran into the bathroom because I thought there’s another lock on that door,” she tearfully told the court.
Prosecutors said Pasqual later broke into Shehorn’s Sunland home, beat her and repeatedly stabbed her.
He was arrested after the attack at a border checkpoint in Texas.
“To this day, I still have nightmares about the attack,” Shehorn said during sentencing.
After Shehorn and her supporters gave emotional statements in court, Pasqual was given a chance to speak.
“Allie did not deserve to almost have her life taken from her,” he said. “No amount of words can form an adequate apology for what she had to endure.”
But the judge questioned whether Pasqual’s remorse was genuine.
The judge referenced a recorded phone call Pasqual allegedly made to a friend just two months earlier, saying he had mocked Shehorn for what she went through.
“You stated that you feel remorse for what occurred, but my response to you is, if that’s true, then why on April 29th during that phone call with your friend, did you mock Allie Shehorn for what she went through?” the judge said.
The judge also noted the severity of Shehorn’s injuries, saying evidence showed she was “clinically dead twice.”
Following the sentencing, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman praised Shehorn’s courage.
“Allie Shehorn miraculously survived and courageously stood before her abuser in court to testify about the brutality she endured,” Hochman said.
He said her testimony helped secure the guilty verdict and make sure Pasqual could not hurt anyone else.
“This case underscores the painful reality that domestic violence thrives when its victims live in fear and stay silent,” Hochman said. “It can erupt into life-threatening violence, and far too many victims never get the chance to see their abusers brought to justice.”
Representatives for Pasqual later issued a statement on his behalf.
“I remain deeply saddened by everything surrounding this case, and I continue to wish healing and peace for everyone affected,” the statement read. “I am grateful to those who have supported me during this process, and I intend to remain focused on sobriety, recovery, accountability, and a respectful appellate process moving forward.”