Michigan man charged with murder of 28-weeks-pregnant girlfriend

A Michigan man is behind bars after police say he fatally stabbed his pregnant girlfriend.

Damarion Winston Goler, 41, is charged with murder, assault causing miscarriage, tampering with evidence, and concealing a death. He is being held without bond.

According to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, Goler stabbed Talic Mersina, 31, near their apartment in Sterling Heights Sunday morning. Mersina was 28-weeks pregnant with the couple’s child. After responding to a call, police found blood both outside and inside the apartment, but the victim was nowhere to be found. Goler and Mersina were then located after a 911 call in another location was made regarding a man covered in blood. They found Goler, with Mersina in a car nearby. She was rushed to a hospital, but she and her preborn child were declared dead upon arrival.

“The defendant allegedly chose to take the life of his pregnant girlfriend, someone who trusted and loved him,” Prosecutor Peter Lucido said. “Justice demands that he face the consequences of his crimes. These acts are not merely crimes against individuals but against the very fabric of humanity itself.”

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“It’s horrendous, it’s so unfortunate,” Sterling Heights Police Lieutenant Mario Bastianelli told Fox 2 Detroit. “You have a 30-year-old female who’s pregnant, and now she’s deceased, the baby’s deceased. Its horrendous all the way around.”

Homicide is the leading cause of death in pregnant women, and the majority of these instances are domestic violence related. A 2022 article published in the British Medical Journal found that women are “more likely to be murdered during pregnancy or soon after childbirth than to die from the three leading obstetric causes of maternal mortality (hypertensive disorders, haemorrhage, or sepsis).” There have been many instances in the news recently of pregnant women who have perished at the hands of their partner.

If convicted, Goler could face up to life in prison. A probable cause hearing is set for April 3, with a preliminary examination on April 10.

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