20 to Life for Man Who Tried 'Ambien Defense' in Girlfriend Murder

Nixon Bourguignon said a sleep aid caused him to sleepwalk and strangle his girlfriend.

But the jury didn’t buy the so-called ‘Ambien Defense.’ Prosecutors said he did it because she had broken off their relationship.

The 38-year-old was sentenced Friday to 20 years to life in prison for the killing of Shannon Coleman.

“Evidence presented at trial showed that the defendant strangled the victim during the protracted break-up of their relationship,” Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe said. “A woman with her whole life ahead of her was senselessly murdered. 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.”

On May 7, 2014, at about 10:30 p.m., Bourguignon violently attacked her inside the family’s residence at the MountainSide apartment complex in Haverstraw.

The victim had two young sons, who were in the apartment during the attack. Bourguignon is the father of the younger child. The couple had lived together in the second-floor apartment.

At the sentencing, family members spoke of how hard it was to talk with the children, including the killer’s own son.

He was convicted of of Murder in the Second Degree a class “A” Felony. Executive Assistant District Attorney Dominic Crispino prosecuted the case.