From How I Met Your Mother to 32 Years to Life

It’s a stark reminder that the person you see on screen is rarely the whole story—and sometimes, the story that emerges is devastating.

Nick Pasqual appeared in a single episode of How I Met Your Mother back in 2011, playing a student named Will in the season 7 installment“Field Trip.”It was a forgettable bit of TV work, the kind of guest spot that disappears into the sprawl of a network sitcom’s run. But in May 2024, Pasqual’s name resurfaced in headlines for reasons that have nothing to do with his acting credits.

He was accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend Allie Shehorn’s home and stabbing her repeatedly. Shehorn, a makeup artist, took the stand during trial and revealed a pattern of abuse that had preceded the attack. She’d broken up with him after their relationship turned violent, and she’d obtained a restraining order. None of it stopped him.

In May 2026, a jury found Pasqual guilty of attempted murder, first-degree burglary, forcible rape, and other felonies stemming from the January-to-May 2024 period. On June 2, he was sentenced to 32 years to life in prison. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman praised the work of prosecutors Sam Abourched and Chelsea Blatt, underscoring a larger truth: Shehorn survived her attack and had the courage to testify against her abuser in court—a moment Hochman called“crucial in securing a guilty verdict.”

In a June 2026 statement to Entertainment Weekly, Pasqual said he plans to appeal and spoke about remaining focused on sobriety, recovery, and accountability. What’s harder to recover from is the reality that domestic violence can erupt into life-threatening violence when victims stay silent—or when abusers are never held accountable. This case underscores both the possibility of justice and how rare it is for survivors to get there.