NEW YORK MAN, 38, WHO SAID AMBIEN MADE HIM SLEEPWALK AND MURDER HIS GIRLFRIEND GETS 20 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON

New York man, 38, who said Ambien made him sleepwalk and murder his girlfriend gets 20 years to life in prison

Nixon Bourguignon, 38, was sentenced Friday on a murder charge in connection with the death of his girlfriend Shannon Coleman, 29
He fatally strangled Coleman, who was the mother of his child, inside her apartment in May 2014 in Garnerville
Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe says Bourguignon killed Coleman after she broke off their relationship
Bourguignon's attorney had argued at his trial the sleeping aid Ambien caused him to become violent and he didn't remember the killing


By REGINA F. GRAHAM FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 17:28 EST, 5 February 2016 | UPDATED: 10:51 EST, 6 February 2016


A New York man who said a sleeping aid caused him to sleepwalk and fatally strangle his girlfriend has been sentenced to serve between 20 years and life in prison.
Rockland County prosecutors say 38-year-old Nixon Bourguignon was sentenced Friday on a murder charge in connection with the death of Shannon Coleman, the mother of his child.
Authorities say Coleman, 29, was killed inside her home in Garnerville in May 2014.
'I am sorry that I took her away from everybody,' Bourguignon said in court Friday.
'I hate myself. I wish every day I could switch places with Shannon. I love Shannon very much.'


Nixon Bourguignon (above), 38, was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for murdering his girlfriend, Shannon Coleman, in May 2014


He said that a sleeping aid caused him to sleepwalk and fatally strangle Coleman (above)


Justice: Nixon Bourguignon, 38, was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for murdering his girlfriend, Shannon Coleman, in May 2014. He said that a sleeping aid caused him to sleepwalk and fatally strangle her
Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe says Bourguignon killed Coleman after she broke off their relationship.
Bourguignon's attorney had argued at his trial the sleeping aid Ambien caused him to become violent and he didn't remember the killing.
During his sentencing, two of the victim's siblings spoke and shared how difficult the situation is for her two children, including the son she had with Bourguignon, The Journal News reported.
'She had the ability to light up a room with her presence,' Lamar Taylor, Shannon's brother, said in court.
'We've been in disarray with the loss of Shannon. It's very difficult to speak to her children, who ask questions about their mother.'
Her siblings said that her children wish they could go back in time to be with their loving mother.  
The victim's younger sister, Sophia Coleman, said that Bourguignon became a citizen and obtained a job through the help of his girlfriend.
'Even if you gave him a million years it will never bring her back,' Sophia Coleman told Supreme Court Justice William Kelly.


Authorities say Coleman, 29, was killed inside her home in Garnerville in May 2014. Her brother, Lamar Taylor, said in court that 'she had the ability to light up a room with her presence'


According to The Journal News, he faced a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 25 years to life for second-degree murder.
At the time of Coleman's murder, her children were sleeping nearby in the home.  
Zugibe said that Bourguignon 'tortured her to death.'
'He didn't just kill her. He totally dominated and controlled her,' Zugibe said.
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'He strangled her, stopped, and, when she regained consciousness, he strangled her again.
'She was aware of what he was doing. He committed the ultimate act of domestic violence.'
According to The Journal News, Prosecutor Dominic Crispino told the judge that he used such force that he broke a bone in Coleman's neck.
Bourguignon's defense attorney David Goldstein said that he believed the jury erred in convicting his client.  



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3434311/NY-man-said-sleep-aid-kill-girlfriend-sentenced.html#ixzz3zQYazz2F
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