Anthony Eugene Nelson, a 33-year-old Petaluma man, will be spending half a century behind bars after he pleaded no contest to a series of heinous crimes that included sexual assault, domestic violence, and the chilling attempt to have his victim murdered, officials said Thursday.

The sentencing came down from Judge Dana Simonds and was handed out earlier today, Nelson's litany of crimes had occurred during a grim period when both he and his victim lived unsparingly in a makeshift shelter by Steamer’s Landing in Petaluma, according to a statement by the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office. Nelson, who was once her partner, terrorized this woman through constant verbal abuse and physical attacks, and in two separate instances in March and April of 2022, he strangled her to the brink of death, the victim only survived by sheer grit and determination.

While locked up in Sonoma County jail, Nelson’s disdain for life seemingly deepened as he tried to orchestrate a morbid solution to his imminent trial, trying to enlist his fellow inmates to assassinate the victim to seal her silence; this plot, however, was uncovered and subsequently added to his charges.

Nelson's admission of guilt, on the eve of his trial on November 3, 2023, led to his avoiding what could have been a lengthy courtroom battle District Attorney Carla Rodriguez praised the victim's bravery for standing up to her abuser, saying, "The surviving victim showed great courage in coming forward and being willing to testify against the defendant," and that "This was despite the physical attacks against her, and his efforts to terrorize her from within the jail" her words echoed a sentiment of relief and justice served, the prosecutors, spearheaded by Deputy District Attorney Marianna Green and supported by District Attorney Investigator Dave Linscomb, with Petaluma Police Dept. Sergeant Jake Gutierrez, leading the investigation, made sure of that.