Nevada man found guilty by jury for attempted strangulation of his girlfriend

Bay St. Louis, MS – District Attorney W. Crosby Parker announced that 32-year-old Nicholas Robert Wagner of Nevada was found guilty this week after a two-day trial of felony Aggravated Assault Domestic Violence.

Judge Lisa P. Dodson presided over the trial at the Hancock County Courthouse. The jury heard that around 8:30 p.m. on September 28, 2020, the Waveland Police Department responded to the assault that occurred at the Aloha Trailer Park.

The victim testified that Wagner, her boyfriend at the time, attempted to strangle her, slammed her on the floor, drug her by her hair, and poured household cleaner on her head.

The victim also testified that the assault did not stop until a neighbor came to their door, which allowed her time to escape. Officers found the victim emotionally upset with red marks on her neck, bruising on her body, and a laceration on her leg consistent with the victim’s account. The injuries were photographed by investigators and shown to the jury.

“The jury also heard from a neighbor who testified she saw injuries on the victim after the victim fled from the home, and that Wagner admitted to the neighbor that he attempted to choke the victim. After the incident, the officers later located Wagner at the Motel 6 in Waveland with a friend and immediately took him into custody,” said ADA Chris Daniel who prosecuted the case with ADA Haley Broom. After the jury’s verdict, Judge Dodson ordered for a presentence investigation to be conducted by the Mississippi Department of Corrections and set sentencing for September 18, 2023 in Gulfport. “Wagner faces a possible penalty of two to twenty years in prison for the attempted strangulation,” said ADA Daniel.