
A Hollywood makeup artist was attacked in her home with a knife, suffering injuries so severe she was declared clinically dead twice. This is the incredible story of Allie Shehorn.
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Promo Announcer
Attention all fabulous, thriving and gorgeous queens. It's time to grab your favorite lip gloss because Mavis Beaumont is back. The final season of Survival of the Thickest is streaming now. Watch our favorite plus size fashionista conquer her career, find true love, and step into her dream life. Plus, the guest list is stacked with comedy and fashion icons like Wanda Sykes, Ice T and Jen Alliance. Don't miss the ultimate happy ending. The finale of Survival of the Thickest is now streaming only on Netflix.
Heath
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Daphne
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Heath
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Ali Shehorn
Foreign.
Heath
What is going on? True crime fans, I'm your host, Heath.
Daphne
And I'm your host, Daphne.
Heath
And you're listening to Going West.
Daphne
All right, guys, today's episode is a little bit unique for Going west because we don't usually cover survivor stories, as you guys know, but Heath and I were so captivated by this woman's resilience. Just as this news has been breaking, this is kind of a happening now. It happened a couple of years ago, but the sentencing just happened not to spoil anything. And so it's been hitting the news and that's why Heath and I learned about it. So a lot of you guys have probably been hearing about this story, but this woman, she has done, aside from what happened to her, she has done some truly amazing work. She has worked on so many movies that I'm sure a lot of you guys have seen and we are just like in awe of, again, her resilience from what she has been through.
Heath
Yeah, she really is like this real life superwoman.
Daphne
Yeah.
Heath
When we talk about her story and everything that she went through. And just her recovery, I think is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen and maybe one of the most incredible things we've ever talked about on this show.
Daphne
Yeah, she's like a real life final girl.
Heath
Yeah, absolutely.
Daphne
So.
Heath
Well, without further ado, this is episode 622 of Going West. So let's get into it.
Daphne
In May of 2024, a 35 year old Hollywood makeup artist was attacked in her home with a knife, suffering injuries so severe she was declared clinically dead twice. As investigators raced to find the person responsible, they quickly uncovered a series of events that had unfolded in the days leading up to the attack. Showcasing the horrors that behind one man's abuse and control. This is the incredible story of Ali Shehorn. Ali Shehorn was born in 1988 in Bakersfield, California, and is described by her friend Emily as, quote, a remarkable person, full of warmth, kindness and love. She loves animals. She has a husky named Riley and a horse named Roy. She loves to ride. But she also is so clearly full of passion, particularly for art, which is something that she grew up exploring. And originally she wanted to become a fine artist. So after high school she attended art school and studied sculpture and painting. But it was there actually at school that she encountered a film production on campus. Like people were filming on her campus. So she kind of like checked it out and started talking to people and she learned about how much she admired the collaborative effort of filmmaking versus the solitude of fine art. Like you make you draw and you paint by yourself, Right. But when you work on a film production, you're working with so many people, like everyone is contributing something. And she thought she was like, so inspired by that.
Heath
And also she lives in Southern California, so it's, it's, it's pretty easy to be inspired by film.
Daphne
No? True. When you grow up, like in Los Angeles or around Los Angeles, you, you see that firsthand quite often.
Narrator/Advertiser
Yeah.
Daphne
And so it's like, it's so second nature to want to be involved in that. So then she decided to enroll in cinema Makeup school in Hollywood and began learning the ins and outs of on screen makeup and special effects. And this was obviously such a fun thing for her to get into because although she loved drawing and painting, she really loved getting to explore prosthetics and life casting and creature work and like work on horror movies, making wounds and body parts. Like she said in an interview years back, with lunacy, quote, bloody gory stuff,
Heath
which is literally my dream. I know that's my dream.
Daphne
Like, we've talked about that a long time ago. Yeah, we did want to do that maybe.
Heath
Did you ever watch the show Face Off?
Daphne
Oh yeah.
Heath
Where they did like horror prosthetics and stuff like that or makeup, so that's what it reminds me of. But like, you know, obviously I'm a big horror guy. I love Tom Savini who does a lot of really cool, like practical effects for horror movies. So I just think it's so cool that she's involved in something like this, know.
Daphne
I agree. It's like so easy for her to fall into, especially as an artist and like she's such a cool horror girl, you know, so it's like so her. And she loved, you know, getting to be involved in, in all that kind of different artwork. So by the early 2000s she had accumulated over 100 credits in film and television. And in recent years, Ally worked on notable films like Babylon Fall, the 2024 Mean Girls remake, Rebel Moon, and most recently Obsession, which like incredible movie love Obsession so much.
Heath
So good.
Daphne
It's really cool because she, she posted on her Instagram, for anybody who has seen it, that scene where Nikki breaks the bottle on the table and she's like going at her face with the end of the bottle.
Heath
Yeah, yeah.
Daphne
Actually Ally posted kind of the behind the scenes of making that work with like a tube on her forehead and
Heath
under her eye and squirting the blood out and stuff.
Daphne
So she posts a lot of cool things like that on her Instagram, just kind of showing the work that she does. So yeah, so, so cool to see the behind the scenes for that movie because it was incredible. So she's worked on so many fun projects in recent years. But little did many know while she was making some of these huge career moves that she was dealing with real horrors behind the scenes. Because something she loves about her job in film that she still loves is that it's always different. You know, she always gets to meet new people, work with different people. Like even our friends and family that work in film, like they love that about the industry.
Heath
Yeah, so many different people to, to kind of like network with.
Daphne
Yes, it's like ever changing. Which unfortunately though brought her to meet a very evil person. So in 2022, 34 year old ally was working on Zack Snyder's Netflix sci fi action movie Rebel Moon Part one, of course as a makeup artist. And that's where she met 33 year old background actor Nicholas Pasquale. And soon enough they became involved in like a casual romantic relationship. Now we really want to highlight Ali today. But just so you guys, like, know who this guy is.
Heath
Yeah, you don't really need to know. You don't even want to know who this piece of is.
Daphne
But just to give you, like, a little bit of background on him, unfortunately, he was born in 1990 in Pennsylvania, but when he was about 15, his family moved to Los Angeles. And soon after, in 2008, he started working as a background actor. Now, for anybody who has heard about this story, you probably know, like, in the media. He is most often credited for his very, very minor role in the show How I Met yout Mother during an episode in season seven.
Heath
Very minor, very minor.
Daphne
Playing a character named Will, who was one of Ted Mosby's architecture students, because that is the most notable credit he has among his 30 background acting credits. But when he wasn't really succeeding on making it as an actor, like many actors do, he was looking for other types of work, but he was trying to still stay, like, in the same lane of acting. Right.
Heath
The same vein.
Daphne
Right. So he actually started working as a scare actor at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood. And he did that from 2008 to 2013. So obviously, most of us know what a scare actor is. He's the guy who's in the car,
Heath
like, carrying around a chainsaw, chasing you around the park.
Daphne
Yes.
Heath
Like those guys. Those guys.
Daphne
Which is weirdly ironic for where this story is going to go. Actually, I think the first time I went to Horror nights was in 2012. So he. I mean, he was working there for many years. And I think it's just so disturbing to think about the fact that this guy, who actually did become like a real life monster, was a fake monster for so many years, scaring people in a different way. It's so bizarre.
Heath
It is very bizarre.
Daphne
Well, like, weirdly prophetic.
Heath
Yeah, absolutely. Well, Ally and Nick began hanging out and then dating after late 2022. And their relationship became serious enough that they lived together for a time in Sun Valley. Now, for those who don't know, Sun Valley is like a neighborhood in Los Angeles. It's just northwest of Burbank, which, of course is where Warner Brothers is. It's where Walt Disney is. Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon Studios, they're all in the Burbank area. And they also shared this home with a roommate who's a woman named Christine. Now, reports don't indicate how long they lived with Christine, because a friend later suggested that this friend of Ally's only moved in when things got tough in her relationship with Nick. Because pretty quickly, Ally realized Nick's abusive and controlling ways. But things really escalated in the spring of 2024, and it would only get worse from there. On Saturday, May 18, 2024, Nick attacked Allie in their home, which would cause her to seek a restraining order against him. Now, in the restraining order report, Allie explained, quote, he started yelling and screaming at me, which happens when he's been under the influence. She then went on to detail that Nick slapped her across the face as she was trying to get away from him and pulled her hair from behind before slamming the back of her head onto the floor, which is just like, I mean, obviously this guy is just an abusive monster. So this is when she ran to her roommate's bedroom, who it doesn't appear was home at the time. But Nick tried to break down the door, which he had done twice before. Twice Nick had broken doors down, which tells us, you know, that this type of abuse towards Ally had been ongoing. This was a thing that was happening quite often. Allie explained that he began punching holes in the door and broke it open. So she ran into the room's bathroom so that she could be behind another lock. But that eventually, after he remained quiet for some time, she opened the door, believing that he had left. You know, she's hoping that Nick is gone, but he was still there. Thus he slammed the door into her, knocking her to the ground, and then proceeded to slam the door into her head. Then Ally says Nick raped her. So after this entire confrontation of like, her running away, terrified that he's going to abuse her, as soon as he gets his hands on her, he rapes her.
Daphne
The fact that he was almost probably trying to coax her out by being quiet. Like the thought of him, oh my God, maybe hiding behind a wall, staying silent as a mouse, trying to coax her out. And then after a while she's like, okay, I think he's gone. And he's just waiting for her.
Heath
Yeah.
Daphne
Holy shit. That's so terrifying.
Heath
That's the mind of a psychopath. Like he. This was all like pre planned. It feels like, you know, like you said, you know, he's trying to be as quiet as possible so that she believes that he's gone.
Daphne
It's like so manipulative.
Heath
Yeah. Well, in her report, Ally included details from past attacks as well, including Nick hitting her with a belt on January 29th of 2024 and several other attempts of breaking doors in their home on March 6th. And then another incident where Nick raped and choked her on April 14th. She said, quote, he has Been violent in the past, but never physically with me, apart from two nights where he ripped clothes off of me. Nick probably made her feel like he was a safe person, like he was trustworthy and all those things. And then little by little, Nick is kind of revealing himself. So first it started with him ripping the clothes off, you know what I'm saying? And then it progressed to physical violence.
Daphne
Yeah, I mean, there's that. We are really seeing that real life escalation.
Heath
Oh, yeah. And it's. And it's going to escalate even more now. After Allie was attacked By Nick on May 18, he was actually arrested, but he was released on a $50,000 bail only hours later. So they didn't even keep him.
Daphne
I mean, the fact that he could have posted bond to begin with is so disappointing. Like, this is clearly a dangerous person.
Heath
Yeah.
Daphne
I mean, obviously it is what it is. And the fact that he was able to post that is disappointing. I wonder how he did. I mean, you know, you only have to give 10% of that.
Heath
So I just think that there needs to be more consequences, I think, for domestic abusers, like, on the initial thing, because it's like somehow they get these slaps on the wrist and it's like it does progress and it gets worse and nothing happens.
Daphne
So immediately, Ali filed for a restraining order, which as of Monday, May 20, included that Nick would need to stay at least 300ft away from her, their residence, any jobs that she worked on, her car, her husky dog, Riley, and her roommate, Christine. And by the way, I just want to kind of explain this. Most reports describe Christine as Ally's surrogate mother. I'm not really sure if she actually is her surrogate mother or if this is more of like a slang term for Christine being maybe like a second mom to her.
Heath
Yeah.
Daphne
But I will say Ali's friend Jed explained on Facebook, quote, she is like an adopted mom who cares a lot about Ali.
Heath
Right. So kind of like a parental figure for Ali.
Daphne
Yeah. And she's a little bit. I don't know how old she is, but from pictures, you know, she's a little bit older than Ally. So it's very possible that she was actually a surrogate mother and was a mother figure to Ally who lived in la, you know, and they're very close. So she was the one who was living at the house. Now, he also added that Christine was living there to protect Ally. So Christine maybe was more of like a recent addition to the house. Maybe she only was living there because of the abuse that Ali was experiencing. I'm just not really sure.
Heath
Yeah, I mean, that's. That's kind of in my mind where, like, I. That's what I think was going on is that, like, you know, Allie was on the outs with Nick and she's like, hey, Christine, do you want to, like, move in? Not only to just be there as, like, each other's confidants, but as well as maybe transitioning Nick out of the house, totally moving Christine in.
Daphne
Well, especially because of that escalation of abuse that seems to have started in January of 2024, and now it's May, and it's really escalated to the point where she's getting a restraining order. You know, she probably saw this coming where she's like, I need to get out of this situation.
Heath
Time to get this fucking guy out of the house.
Daphne
Well, on Nick, Jed added, quote, he is not the fully tattooed guy, and if you had met him, you would not have known he was capable of this. I knew him firsthand for two years and was, and still am in shock that this happened. This person was a part of a lot of people's lives and seemed serious, stable. I was there from the beginning when they met on the film set of Rebel Moon, to many dinners and outings to when he asked her out and so on. This came as a surprise to me and others who were close to Ally and him. It just. What makes this statement so haunting, like, in hindsight, is that it reflects on the reality that so many survivors and their loved ones have to deal with when on the outside, at least originally, for a lot of people. Not always. You know, there are some cases that we cover where the parents are, like, he was a freak from day one. Like, I've never liked him, but sometimes it's like, he seemed like a stable, normal guy.
Heath
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And you see, we. We do see that often because, like I said, it's like Nick is kind of revealing himself over time. He didn't originally start out being. I mean, that's who he really is.
Daphne
Right.
Heath
You know, and this is a real. This is the real Nick. But he was wearing a mask at first.
Daphne
Totally.
Heath
And it's so sad because Ali just had no idea he.
Narrator/Advertiser
Yeah.
Daphne
And neither did her loved ones. You know, he was.
Heath
And apparently not even Jed, you know.
Daphne
No, not even Jed. And Jed is really close with Ally. He. He posts so much about him visiting her on her healing journey, as we're very much going to get into. But, yeah, this was a shock to everybody. And truly, of course, you know, as we're saying, Ally Shehorn did everything you're told to do as a victim. She sought help. She left the relationship. She reported abuse. She involved law enforcement. She obtained a domestic violence restraining order. She took legal steps to protect herself and the ones around her, her dog and Christine in her home, in her car, in her workplace. But as many of us know, one of the most dangerous periods in an abusive relationship is often the moment a victim tries to leave, as we've seen in so many other cases that we've covered on the show that have really tragic endings.
Heath
Yes. And unfortunately, you know, a restraining order is. At the end of the day, it's a piece of paper.
Daphne
No, truly. I mean, you know, you know, in the days after she obtained this court protection, then while trying to reclaim safety and her future, Ally entered the period that experts recognize as the highest risk stage of domestic violence, which really serves as this sobering reminder, like you're saying, Heath, that even though obtaining a restraining order and reporting abuse is like a necessary tool, at the end of the day, it's not a physical shield.
Heath
Yeah. And that's what they. You know, they tell. That's what they tell you you need to do.
Ali Shehorn
Yeah.
Heath
Is you should. You know, you start with that, you get the restraining order. But it's like, we've talked about this before about how. Like, we've talked about this in stalking cases, about how it wasn't even illegal to stalk somebody, like, up until like, the fucking 80s or something, right?
Daphne
Yeah, it's the. I mean, the laws on stalking are so disgusting.
Heath
It's terrible.
Daphne
Yeah, it's terrible. And, you know, it. It is so disappointing that it is true that you're entering the. The most dangerous phase when you're trying to do the right things and when you think you're trying to protect yourself, which you absolutely should do those things. But this is exactly what happened to Ally.
Heath
Yeah. Cause just five days after her May 18th attack, Nick would strike again. Now, by this point, he was out of the house. He was staying elsewhere, meaning that Allie was living in her own home in Sun Valley with her surrogate mother, Christine, and her dog. Aside from the traumatizing things going on in her personal life, Ally was also about to begin working on a set, doing makeup for a short indie horror film. So, you know, she was keeping herself busy with work and just really trying to move forward from this relationship with Nick. But in the early morning hours of Monday, May 23, the day that she was supposed to begin working on this new job, sometime between fall between 4 and 4:30am, 34 year old Nick broke into her house and attacked her with an 8 inch kitchen knife as she slept. Allie awoke exhausted and in great pain as Nick struck her in the neck, chest, back and hands more than 30 times. So startled and disoriented, Allie initially couldn't understand, you know, what was happening. She's just waking up at this point. But in the darkness she realized that the person attacking her was Nick. The same man that she had spent over a year with, the same man that she had recently gone to court to protect herself from attacking her in her safe space, her own home. So fighting for her life, she raised her hands in an attempt to shield herself, suffering severe defensive wounds in the process. So she was, she was just being repeatedly stabbed all over the place and especially in her hands because she's really trying to protect her face, her neck and everything like that.
Daphne
Just the fact that she's waking up to this, doesn't even know what's happening to her and has to figure it out while it's happening.
Heath
More terrifying moment, you're tired, you really don't know what's going on. It's dark and then all of a sudden you see Nick's face, you know, hovering over you. Well, soon after, her roommate Christine went into Ally's room to find her in a pool of her own blood, still alive. She later reported, quote, I just told her to keep her hand on her throat to stop the bleeding. Allie was rushed to the hospital to undergo emergency surgery and remained in the ICU for several days, fighting for her life. And later that morning, others working on set of the short film that she was supposed to begin working on that day noticed her absence, which those who knew her on set noted was completely unlike her. This is just something that she wouldn't do. She wouldn't miss like a great opportunity. But little did they know she was in the hospital in critical condition. Meanwhile, Nick Pasquale had fled the area. And guess where they found him? Can you take a guess?
Daphne
Oh, I know.
Heath
Now you know where you tell him. So he was actually trying to cross the border into Mexico because of course he was. Yeah, yeah, he knew that he was going to go down for this and so he was trying to make his great escape. Now, because police knew that he had committed the act, they obtained an arrest warrant for Nick and with that, his name was entered into national law enforcement databases. So this essentially flagged his name. And thus, after traveling to Sierra Blanca, which is in Texas, about a 13 hour drive from Los Angeles, he was detained at the border checkpoint as he attempted to enter Mexico only five days after trying to kill Allie. This was on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. Now, by that point, Allie, who was 35, was in very stable condition. She was getting a ton of visits from friends, but she was. She was in the hospital for weeks and continued to go in for surgeries and checkups throughout the rest of the year. Her friend Emily stated, quote, she's been in really good spirits. I feel like she's comforting all of us. We. Which is kind of how Ally is. Even when she's at rock bottom, she's still looking to see how she can lift other people up.
Daphne
And her friends were so proud of her. This is where the Jed thing comes in. Like, all of her closest friends were visiting her at the hospital and they set up a GoFundMe for her because not only did she have to go through this and have to go through all the surgeries to fix what was done to her, she has to pay for it. So they set up this GoFundMe and she. They raised over, like, $100,000 for her. And so they were putting all these updates on the GoFundMe of, like, how she was doing and pictures of her, like, putting a thumbs up or a peace signer sticking her tongue out in the hospital bed.
Heath
Like, being a total freaking trooper, I was gonna say. I. I saw, like, numerous photos of her with her friends while she's still in the hospital. And it's just like, again, this shows the resilience of this woman, like, what she went through and the fact that she can, like, make a silly face while, While recovering from 38 stab wounds to her neck, her head, her chest, her hands all over the place.
Ali Shehorn
It.
Heath
It, again, it just shows how tough she really is, truly.
Daphne
And even, like, they posted that by early July, she was drawing again. And it's kind of crazy. So Obsession filmed in October of 2024. They shot for 20 days. So the fact that she was the head of makeup in the makeup department on that movie means that five, less than five months after her attack, she was head of the makeup department on this horror movie. So she was like, had to get right back into work after she healed. Because also, it's like, not only again does she have to pay for all these surgeries and medical care, but she has to make a living too and keep herself in the industry and in the workforce. So she also had this pressure of, I have to get back to work, but I also want to get back to work. I want. I love what I do. I want to return to my freaking life that was almost stolen from me. And so she was already back into the swing of things only a few months later.
Heath
And as we're, as we're going to mention, she had died twice. She had died twice during these surgeries.
Daphne
Insane.
Heath
And within five months, she's back to doing what she does best, you know, horror makeup, which is crazy to me.
Daphne
It's truly incredible.
Promo Announcer
Attention all fabulous, thriving and gorgeous queens. It's time to grab your favorite lip gloss because Mavis Beaumont is back. The final season of Survival of the Thickest is streaming now. Watch our favorite plus size fashionista conquer her career, find true love, and step into her dream life. Plus, the guest list is stacked with comedy and fashion icons like Wanda Sykes, Ice T and Jenna Lyons. Don't miss the ultimate happy ending. The finale of Survival of the Thickest is now streaming only on Netflix.
Daphne
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Heath
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Daphne
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Heath
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Heath
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Heath
Exactly. Just mix and match for your personal style.
Daphne
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Heath
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Daphne
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Heath
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Daphne
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Daphne
Nick Pasquale was extradited to Los Angeles, and he remained in jail until the trial was underway over a year and a half later on April 27, 2020 26. Now, I want to read you guys Ally's victim impact statement, because this is where we get most of the details of what happened to her that night and, like, what she went through afterwards in her own words. I. I wish we had a video of this so bad so we can play it so you can actually hear her saying it. But we do have the transcript, and
Heath
it is so impactful.
Daphne
It's so impactful. I mean, it. It really will show you how remarkable it is that she survived this and that she was able to say all of this. Tell Nick what he did.
Heath
Yeah, to his little squirrely face.
Daphne
Yes. Okay. So she says. When I was lying on the floor in a pool of my own blood, I remember wondering if this was how my life was going to end. In that moment, my mind filled with everything I might never get to experience. Riding my horse, Roy again. Sitting across from my friends at dinner. Becoming a mother one day. I remember feeling grief for a future that was slipping away before I ever had a chance to live it. I was terrified. I was in pain. And I felt very small. You, who I had once trusted, decided that my life was something you could take away. I remember thinking that if I stopped fighting, that would be it. That everything I was and everything I still hoped to be would be gone. So I held on. I wasn't ready to disappear. It was then that I decided to wrap my neck with a belt from a robe to try and slow the bleeding from the 3 millimeter hole you left in my carotid artery. You tried to kill me in my sleep. I was asleep. Asleep in a place I thought I was safe from you. I was pulled out of a dream to the feeling of confusion and unimaginable pain. My hands were shredded as the blade severed my tendons and my nerves. How dare you try to take My life. As soon as I was finally freeing myself from you. That moment was only the beginning. When the paramedics arrived, I felt a small glint of relief. They had me. I did it. I'm still alive. I'm still here. I remember being awake at the hospital when we arrived. It sounded like I was stable and they were taking me to get an MRI to see how deep my wounds were and if there was any internal bleeding. After the mri, they attempted to move me from one bed to the next. When I started vomiting blood uncontrollably.
Heath
God.
Daphne
I suddenly couldn't breathe and I was choking, expelling the blood they so desperately were trying to keep in my body. In between the desperate gasp for air, I looked up at the nurse inches from my face, and I said, I just want to live. The nurse looked down at me with smile, sympathetic eyes and said, we're trying. We're trying. As she tried to put a tube down my throat for the third time. I would learn later that I had lost all the blood in my body. I died twice that day. It's only thanks to the incredible surgeon and medical team who refused to give up on me, that I survived. When I woke up, I was alone in a cold, dark room. I couldn't move my arms or my head or my neck. I had a tube in my throat and had no voice. All I could do was blink and cry. My thoughts felt foggy, like my mind was underwater. What had happened didn't feel real yet. Time stretched in strange ways. Minutes felt like hours as I lay there staring at a television I didn't understand, waiting for someone to notice me. My hands were throbbing. I remember wondering if my legs had been injured too. I looked down and saw the faint outline of my big toe under the hospital blanket. I focused everything I had on trying to move it. I wasn't thinking about pain. I was thinking about whether I would ever be able to ride my horse again. The nurse finally came in as tears were streaming down the sides of my face. She said not to worry and that I would be okay. I had so many questions, but all I could do was lie there and blink. Fear and helplessness overwhelmed me. Even though I was supposed to. Supposed to feel safe. Sometime later, a chaplain came to speak to me. Using a non verbal communication board with letters on it, I was able to give him the names of people to contact and then asked one question. Will I be able to draw again? He couldn't answer. Dread filled me. Unable to scream or yell my frustrations, I slipped back into sorrow. A few days later, after the breathing tube was finally removed from my throat and I could communicate again, I was surrounded by friends and asked if anyone could possibly address my blood caked hair. It was matted into a bun on the top of my head, the same as it was the night of the attack. The side of my head was shaved by the doctors so they could get to the gaping wounds you left in my scalp. My friend Kim started the tedious process of trying to rinse the blood clotted hair with a washcloth in a bowl. Each time she combed my hair, it sent a surge of pain through my head. Eventually, she got the tangled ball of hair down to a single matted chunk. But by that point, I couldn't take the pain anymore and just told her to cut it out. When she did, she noticed another wound underneath the matted mess that the doctors hadn't discovered yet. Upon leaving the hospital, I was finally able to examine the amount of wounds I had. 37. The doctor stopped counting after 2037. The injuries I live with are permanent. I have partial blindness. I have nerve damage in my left hand and loss of feeling. I need surgery on my right hand to release a damaged tendon in my thumb. I suffer from first bite syndrome, where the first few bites of every meal send sharp shooting pains throughout the side of my face. I may need muscle paralyzing injections every three months for the rest of my life. But the injuries aren't only physical. To this day, I still have nightmares about the attack. For months afterward, I struggled with intense survivor's guilt, asking myself why I lived when so many others did not. I am here today because I survived something that often ends differently. Too many women are murdered by the men who claim to love them and never get the chance to stand where I am standing. Their lives were taken, their futures ended. Their names are now remembered in court records instead of birthday celebrations. I don't know why I'm still here, but I feel a responsibility to live in a way that honors those women, to speak when they no longer can. To remind the court that this violence follows a pattern and that the outcome I survived is not the common one. I am not here out of anger. I am here because my life has value. Because what happened to me matters. And because I am still trying every day to reclaim the life that was almost taken from me. My scars are a reminder to myself and anyone who sees me that evil does exist in this world. And at least this one time, someone survived.
Heath
Yeah, evil does exist. His name is Nick Pasquale.
Daphne
Yeah. I only hope my story can help others get out sooner than me. Because no one deserves to ever live through the dark shadow that you cast on my life. I've come to realize that you've never taken accountability for the effect you've had on my life. But for every day since you last abused me, I've asked myself, why? Why, when I was only kind to you, when I was gentle and loving, even when you screamed at me, why would you do this to me? You've created scars that I'll live with for the rest of my life. Not just physical, but emotional. As if the lifelong health concerns that I face because of the injuries I sustained, sustained by you, weren't enough. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about the trauma that I live through because I chose to love you. An evil, broken coward.
Heath
Such a coward, that guy.
Daphne
My scars, both physical and emotional, are a reminder that I survived you. I escaped your cruel grasp. A reminder that you can never control me again. And for that, I will wear them as a badge of honor.
Heath
I mean, my heart. Dislike. It makes. It makes my heart, like, shudder when she's. The fact that she's talking about these other women that didn't make it. And that's. That's her concern, I think, again, she's just an incredible person, and I just. I'm amazed at her words.
Daphne
I mean, like, that's the most incredible speech I've ever heard. I honestly had a hard time getting through that without crying. Like, that was unbelievable. She hit every nail on the head.
Promo Announcer
It.
Daphne
It really showed how emotional her experience was, how she lives today, what she went through, everything that she still deals with now, and the fact that he got to hear all of that, even though I know it doesn't really matter because he's such a piece of. He probably still doesn't care. As we're about to get.
Heath
Oh, yeah, we're gonna talk about how he really doesn't care.
Daphne
Like, bravo to her. That was incredible. So on May 8, 2026, Nick was found guilty for attempted murder, forcible rape, first degree residential burglary with a person present, and injuring an intimate partner three days after he was convicted of trying to murder her. Ali celebrated her latest work in the horror movie Obsession at the film's LA premiere on May 11, 2026, showing off her scars on wearing them just like the badge of honor that she described.
Heath
Let's go, girl. So, let's go, girl. Awesome.
Daphne
So, so incredible.
Heath
Well, on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, six 36 year old Nick Pasquale was sentenced to 32 years to life in prison. I mean, 32 years, throw away that key.
Daphne
Well, really, the judge said life, so it's like, I think it's technically 30. He's not.
Heath
Yeah, no, there's no way he's getting out.
Daphne
They are throwing away the key.
Heath
Well, during his sentencing, Nick made a statement and although we don't want to give this piece of shit the spotlight, he says something that is relevant to what the judge responds with. So here is what he said. I can't believe this happened to her and I'm so sorry that it did. This is a burden that I will carry for the rest of my life as I'm filled with deeper, more so a remorse matched only by the gratitude I have that she's still alive. I thank God every day that Allie still has the opportunity to share her creative life with the world. I remain deeply saddened by everything surrounding this case and I continue to wish healing and peace for everyone affected. I'm grateful to those who have supported me during this process and I intend to remain focused on sobriety, recovery and accountability.
Daphne
I remain deeply saddened by everything surrounding this case and I continue to wish healing and peace for everyone affected. Fuck you. Like, oh my God.
Heath
Fucking loser. And such a loser, this guy.
Daphne
It felt, even though he did say her name, it felt so indirect, like, I'm so sorry to everybody that I affected.
Heath
That's the most. Like, like, what did you, did you type in, you know, your response to fucking chat GPT? That sounded like literally it was just an automated response. Yes.
Daphne
There was no meaning behind that whatsoever.
Heath
No emotion, no remorse, nothing. But what's really awesome here is that the judge did something amazing.
Daphne
Oh, yeah.
Heath
He said exactly what all of us want to say to Nick, stating, quote, to call you a human being is an insult to humanity. And here's an audio clip of that moment.
Daphne
To call you a human being is an insult to humanity.
Heath
You are a hedonistic narcissist who only cared about himself.
Daphne
The court imposes the term prescribed by
Heath
law, which is life in state prison. He also added, quote, you stated that you feel remorse for what occurred. But my response to you is, if that's true, then why on April 29, during that phone call with your friend, did you mock Ally Shehorn for what she went through?
Daphne
Disgusting.
Heath
Just the worst of the worst.
Daphne
That says it all.
Heath
Because, yeah, two days after the trial was underway, a recorded phone conversation that Nick had with a friend proved that he showed no Remorse for what he did to Ally as he callously spoke of her pleasure plight. Like he is. He is not rehabilitated in any sort of way. He does not feel saddened by the case. It seems that the only reason why he's sad is because he got caught.
Daphne
Truly. I mean, even after two years in custody, because we have to, like, really think about this. He attacked her on May 18. She filed a restraining order. He was arrested, he bonded out, he's free. And what does he do right after? He goes to her house that, yes, used to be his house, but he goes to her house with a knife and stabs her over 30 times. And then he flees to try to Texas to try to get into Mexico. So this was full of intent. He went there to kill her. He, like all of this had such purpose. He knew what he was doing. It wasn't in the heat of the moment. This was first degree premeditated murder. And then what? He was just going to go live his life in Mexico? Like, what was his. What was he thinking? Like, he thought just like he could in their relationship, that he could control her now and control where her life goes by taking it away. And then what, you're just going to live in Mexico at. Fly under the radar for the rest of your life and hide and as you couldn't have it your way.
Heath
And I think the best part about this whole scenario is that he didn't win. He did. He didn't succeed, thank God. So it's like he probably knew. There was probably some portion of his mind that knew that if he did kill Ally and he was somehow able to make it to Mexico, he was probably going to get caught and was probably going to go to prison. Right. I mean, he probably knew that.
Daphne
Of course. That's why he fled.
Heath
Exactly. But on top of that, the fact that he didn't succeed, it's like, not only are you still going to prison, but she's still alive. Yeah. You know, oh, my God, you didn't. You did not succeed in what you were trying to do. Understandably. Allie has not yet done any interviews since her attempted murderer was convicted, as she's very busy with work on new projects and continuing to focus on her healing journey. But after the sentencing, she did speak publicly, though very brief. And here's what she said regarding abusive relationships. We want to play you guys that clip.
Ali Shehorn
Never too late to get out.
Heath
Now, this video came from the organization End Violence Everywhere, who have been instrumental in their help to Ally. Because for those who don't know, End Violence Everywhere is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, as well as family violence. Founded by survivor and advocate Kate Alexander, they work to connect survivors with resources including legal advocacy, safe housing, trauma, informed care, and other wraparound services, while still advocating for systemic reforms to better protect victims and their families. Now, we don't have video for this portion, but Ali also said, quote, no one should ever have to endure the violence I experienced. Coming forward has been one of the most difficult decisions of my life. But I hope by speaking out, I can help others feel less alone. Survivors deserve support, safety, and the chance to heal without fear or shame. So here's a clip from an interview that she did with Midnight Movie Trash at the horrific Women Film Festival that took place back in September of 2025. So she's speaking about the work that she does. So here's that clip. What's up, guys?
Daphne
This is Daniel with Midnight Movie Trash
Ali Shehorn
and I'm here with Ali Shehorn.
Heath
Ali, good to see you again. How did you enjoy the second year of the Hervic Women's Film Fest?
Ali Shehorn
I wish I was participating in it, but I will definitely participate next year. But it was amazing. Like so many beautiful, amazing films that I was just shocked and scared at the same time.
Heath
Do you have any projects, anything going on you can talk about?
Ali Shehorn
Yes, I have a movie that I did special effects on that will have its theatrical release called Obsession. It got into Toronto International Film Festival.
Heath
Can you tell me a little bit about the book?
Ali Shehorn
It's about a wish gone bad and see what happens if you try and wish for your love.
Heath
Anything else you got going you can talk about?
Ali Shehorn
There's still films in the works. I hope to be in production for a couple other movies coming up, doing special effects as well as directing.
Heath
So you're doing it all and you're filming last year.
Daphne
Are you still trying to make it a feature?
Ali Shehorn
No, that one was just a short sim that was just for fun. And your first one is always just like for fun. You're just playing around and you learn from everything that you do and grow from it.
Daphne
Well, thank you so much.
Heath
One more where can they find you on social media?
Ali Shehorn
Oh, Ali Sheehorn Arts.
Heath
Thank you so much.
Daphne
It was great seeing you again, Daniel with Midnight Moochest.
Heath
See ya.
Daphne
Ali is still doing amazing work to this day and is an incredible example of resilience, perseverance and the strength that it takes to rebuild a life under unimaginable trauma. Even with her line of work, like she is still making wounds and scars for other people. Like, she's still doing it and exploring this passion despite her own very personal experiences with the real thing. You know, because her again, her work and her Instagram, if you go, it's at Ali Shehorn Art. Everybody should follow her. You know, her page is covered with like, her, like, actually one of her posts is somebody like an actress's neck who. She had to do a slash, neck wound.
Heath
Yeah.
Daphne
But as you guys will see in photos of Ali, she had her neck slashed and the scar is really long across her neck. So it's just wild to me that she is doing that fake, you know, on other people.
Heath
Listen, you can't be scared of horror movies if you lived the real life thing. And she did with Nick.
Daphne
Yeah, it does seem like she's like, yeah, this doesn't scare me because I actually experienced this. So I just think that's so cool that she's still doing it and she's still exploring her passions with that. The bloody gory stuff. Like she said.
Heath
I love it.
Daphne
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence, please call the National Domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat@thehotline.org. Thank you so much, everybody, for listening to this episode of Going West.
Heath
Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. If you want to see photos of Ally after her recovery, being the badass woman that she is, head on over to our socials. We're on Instagram @goingwest podcast. We're also on TikTok as well as Facebook. I mean, again, I just. I can't believe the resilience of Ali. The fact that she went through all of. I mean, she died twice. She lost all the blood in her body.
Daphne
I want to hug her.
Heath
And somehow she. She made it. She survived. She's still here with us today.
Daphne
She is so incredible. I love, love her passion for her work and just how, you know, when you see photos of her and videos of her as we played for you guys and showed you, if you're watching over on YouTube, like, you could just see the light in her. She's such a badass. So I am so happy that she survived this, but I know this really isn't over for her. She is going to live with this for the rest of her life. Like she said, you know, she has nightmares from the trauma. She thinks about this every single day. She's dealing with. With the repercussions of something that was done to her and to her body. Every single day, but she's doing freaking amazing. So follow her on Instagram. Follow along with her journey.
Heath
Yes. Make sure that you follow her. I also want to say real quick that, you know, there are a lot of women out there that are going through similar experiences with domestic violence. So just one more time, I want to put the number out there because I feel like it's very important. So the National Domestic Violence Hotline, you can reach it at 1-800-799-7233. If you're going through a situation like this, just remember that there is a way out, that there are people here to help you.
Daphne
You are not alone.
Heath
You are not alone.
Daphne
Thank you guys so much for tuning in and we will see you again on Tuesday.
Heath
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Daphne
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Airdate: July 3, 2026
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft & Heath Merryman
This episode diverges from Going West’s usual focus on unresolved disappearances and murders, centering instead on the astonishing survival and recovery of Allie Shehorn, a talented Hollywood makeup artist. Daphne and Heath detail the harrowing domestic violence and attempted murder she endured at the hands of Nicholas Pasquale, offering a gripping narrative of her brush with death, legal battles, emotional resilience, and triumphant return to her craft.
“It’s so cool that she’s involved in something like this… She’s such a cool horror girl.” – Heath (05:59)
“There needs to be more consequences for domestic abusers, like, on the initial thing.” – Heath (14:08)
“She was just being repeatedly stabbed… She’s really trying to protect her face, her neck and everything like that.” – Heath (21:19)
Impact statement (31:29–39:25):
“I remember wondering if this was how my life was going to end… but I held on. I wasn’t ready to disappear.” – Allie Shehorn (Victim Impact Statement, 31:44) “I died twice that day… It’s only thanks to the incredible surgeon and medical team who refused to give up on me, that I survived… The injuries I live with are permanent.” – Allie (33:41–34:55) “Too many women are murdered by the men who claim to love them and never get the chance to stand where I am standing. Their names are now remembered in court records instead of birthday celebrations.” – Allie (35:56)
Nick convicted of attempted murder, forcible rape, and more on May 8, 2026. Sentenced June 2, 2026 to “32 years to life” (41:02).
“To call you a human being is an insult to humanity.” – Presiding Judge (42:58)
“He does not feel saddened by the case. It seems that the only reason why he’s sad is because he got caught.” – Heath (43:31)
Allie’s heroic resilience:
Brief public statements following the trial:
An inspiring excerpt from her 2025 festival interview:
“Your first [film] is always just for fun. … You learn from everything that you do and grow from it.” – Allie Shehorn (47:45)
Hosts highlight her relentless creativity despite trauma, drawing a direct line between her fearlessness in horror artistry and her real-life survival.
| Time | Segment / Topic | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:20 | Allie’s early life, career, and rise in Hollywood | | 07:29 | Meeting Nick & descent into abuse | | 11:10 | First major violent incident (rape & physical attack) | | 13:32 | Nick’s arrest & Allie’s attempts to get help | | 18:19 | Second, life-threatening attack (attempted murder details) | | 25:26 | Allie's rapid recovery and return to her work | | 31:29 | Full reading/discussion of Allie's victim impact statement | | 40:13 | Nick’s conviction and sentencing | | 42:58 | Judge’s condemnation of Nick | | 45:49 | Allie’s statement: "Never too late to get out." | | 47:06 | Allie’s festival interview, focus on work and healing | | 49:40 | Outro call to action, support resources for domestic violence |
“There is a way out. There are people here to help you. You are not alone.” – Heath & Daphne (51:31)
The episode maintains a compassionate, urgent, and sometimes raw tone—balancing horror at the crimes with deep admiration for Allie’s courage and creativity. Daphne and Heath stress systems’ frequent failures to protect victims, but ultimately highlight Allie’s survival as a beacon of hope for others.
For listeners who haven’t heard the episode:
This is an in-depth, emotionally charged account of survival, justice, and resilience in the face of domestic violence. Allie Shehorn’s story exemplifies strength, both personal and creative, culminating in a powerful lesson about recovery and self-determination after unimaginable trauma.