The Gazebo Gazette
GULFPORT (GG) — On Thursday, February 12, Nicholas Lashaun Unger of Gulfport, Mississippi pled guilty this week to Attempted Murder in connection with the November 8, 2023, stabbing assault of his former girlfriend. Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Bourgeois sentenced Unger to thirty (30) years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, to be served day-for-day as a habitual offender.
According to Assistant District Attorney Haley Necaise Broom, who prosecuted the case on behalf of the State, “on November 8, 2023, officers with the Gulfport Police Department responded to a residence on Government Street in reference to a reported assault. Upon arrival, officers heard a female victim yelling for help. Officers located the Defendant on top of the victim inside a bedroom closet. The Defendant was covered in blood, and a bloody knife was found nearby. Officers immediately removed and detained the Defendant. Officers rendered aid to the victim until medical personnel arrived. The victim identified the Defendant as her ex-boyfriend and relayed that he stabbed her after she told him to leave the residence. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment.”
“The investigation revealed the Defendant arrived at the residence unannounced and engaged in a verbal altercation with the victim that escalated into a prolonged and violent assault involving multiple knives. During the attack, the victim attempted to flee and seek help. The victim’s daughter intervened, allowing the victim an opportunity to seek safety. The Defendant later forced entry into a bedroom and continued the assault until officers arrived. The victim suffered an extreme number of stab wounds as a result of the attack,” stated Broom.
During sentencing Judge Lawrence Bourgeois stated it was “but for the Grace of God that the victim was here with us today.”
Judge Bourgeois further noted that the maximum sentence authorized by law was one day less than life. After considering the Defendant’s life expectancy of 30.2 years, Judge Bourgeois sentenced the Defendant to serve thirty (30) years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, as a habitual offender, which requires that sentence to be served day-for-day without the eligibility for early release.
“This was a brutal and deeply disturbing act of domestic violence committed by someone the victim once trusted. Cases like this underscore the very real and dangerous risks that can arise when relationships end and boundaries are ignored. Our office is committed to holding violent offenders fully accountable and ensuring meaningful consequences for those who inflict this level of harm,” said Assistant District Attorney Haley Necaise Broom.
