Attempted Murder Of Girlfriend Lands Montco Man Prison Time

POTTSTOWN, PA — A local man is heading to state prison for between 10 to 20 years after a judge sentenced him in connection to a conviction earlier this summer in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.

Avery Michael Nascimento, 22, of Pottstown Borough, was convicted by a jury in July on attempted first-degree murder in connection with the shooting of his girlfriend back in January.

Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge William R. Carpenter imposed the years-long prison sentence on Tuesday during a court proceeding.

Nascimento was arrested back in January after prosecutors say he shot the woman several times during a domestic incident inside the victim's Pottstown home.

In addition to the charges relating to the shooting of his girlfriend, 34-year-old Sodonia Medunic, Nascimento had also been charged in the death of 36-year-old Sean Robbins, who was Medunic's boyfriend at the time.

The charges relating to the boyfriend's killing ended in an acquittal in July, however, after jurors believed Nascimento's claims of self-defense, saying he shot the man during a fight.

Medunic read a letter in court saying she still suffers flashbacks and nightmares relating to the incident, according to a report in the Mercury newspaper.

The story states that Nascimento apologized to Medunic and to the Robbins' family members during his court hearing, saying he wishes he could "take back everything that happened that night."

During the trial involving the murder counts against the deceased boyfriend, defense attorneys reportedly argued that Robbins had been the aggressive party during the altercation and that Nascimento feared he was in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury at the time he shot the man, according to the Mercury.

Court records show that Nascimento on Tuesday was also found guilty of a felony charge of aggravated assault.

Sentencing has been scheduled for Oct. 5 in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.