May 6, 2024 8:30p
(WGTD)---A sentencing hearing was held Monday in a domestic violence case that drew an unusual amount of attention.
In a packed Kenosha courtroom, 38-year-old Nicholas Mercier was sentenced to 18 months in prison after striking a plea bargain. He was given four months' credit for time served.
Judge Anthony Milisauskas said anything less than prison would unduly depreciate the nature of the situation. "He's had his chance," Milisauskas said. "There has to be a deterrence for others."
Before the sentence was passed, the 33-year-old victim tearfully told the judge in a lengthy statement how she was psychologically trapped in a relationship in which she was demeaned, bullied and sometimes physically harmed. The stress of the relationship, she said, led to an addiction problem which resulted in OWI convictions and a prison sentence for herself.
In 2014, Mercier was first convicted of charges stemming from an incident in which the woman was injured when she fell from a moving vehicle Mercier had been driving. In that case, Mercier was sentenced to probation and four months in jail. The case drew attention when a manager of the restaurant where Mercier worked made light of the matter in social media and in a crude drawing that was posted in the restaurant.
The latest charges stemmed from a 2020 incident in which the victim was treated for a fractured elbow and various bruises.
In comments before sentencing, Mercier claimed he had turned his life around with several years of sobriety under his belt and a new outlook. He described his past behavior as disgusting, self-centered and hateful. "I hurt that girl," said Mercier, his voice straining with emotion.
At the end of the hearing, looking straight ahead, a fast-walking Mercier was escorted past the judge and out the front of the courtroom. The victim sat just beyond the railing, dabbing her eyes.
-0-
