Man sentenced for attacking then-girlfriend in front of son

A Laramie man has been sentenced in a plea deal after he choked his then-girlfriend while the couple’s young son begged him to stop.

Albany County District Court Judge Tori Kricken sentenced Cooper Schorzman to between 13 and 20 years of prison on Tuesday for the 2017 attack.

Prosecutors dropped an attempted murder charge in exchange for the 26-year-old Schorzman’s guilty plea to kidnapping, strangulation of a household member and child endangerment.

Prosecutors say Schorzman grabbed the woman by the hair while they were in a moving vehicle and choked her. Their son was in the back seat and yelled, “Please don’t hurt my mom.”

The Laramie Boomerang reports Schorzman also threatened her with a pistol.

Schorzman says the woman threatened to take their son away. Attorney Sarah Manwarren says he has severe mental health issues.