Man Who Said Sleep Aid Made Him Kill Girlfriend Sentenced

The Rockland County man who claimed a sleep aid caused him to fatally strangle his girlfriend has been sentenced.

38-year-old Nixon Bourguignon, of Haverstraw, was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison in connection with the murder of Shannon Coleman, the mother of his child.

Authorities say on May of 2014 Bourguignon violently attacked Coleman inside their Haverstraw second-floor apartment. Coleman was strangled to death by Bourguignon with her two young sons in the apartment. Bourguignon is the father of the youngest child.

According Rockland County District Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe, Bourguignon killed his girlfriend after she ended their relationship. “A woman with her whole life ahead of her was senselessly murdered,” Zugibe said. “The defendant will now likely face most, if not all, of the remainder of his life in prison. Hopefully, the victim’s family will find some measure of justice in this verdict.”

According to Fox News, during the trial, Bourguignon's attorney said the sleeping aid Ambien made him sleep walk and kill Coleman.