DENVER—Mitchell Lee Gibson, age 30, who resided on-base on Fort Carson near Colorado Springs, Colorado, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn to serve 540 months (45 years) in federal prison for assault resulting in serious bodily injury, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault of a spouse by strangling and suffocation, U.S. Attorney John Walsh and FBI Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ravenelle announced. Following his prison sentence, Judge Blackburn ordered Gibson to serve three years on supervised release. Gibson, who attended the sentencing hearing in custody, was remanded at the hearing’s conclusion.

Gibson was first arrested based on a Criminal Complaint filed on March 26, 2014. He pled guilty before Judge Blackburn on February 5, 2015, and was sentenced today, May 20, 2015.

According to the stipulated facts contained in the plea agreement, on March 25, 2014 at about 9:45 p.m., Fort Carson Police officers responded to a 911 call from a victim who explained that Gibson had assaulted her. Responding officers immediately saw significant injuries and called for medical assistance. She told officers that Gibson was under the influence of alcohol and prescription medication, and that he threatened to hurt her and a child.

While at the hospital, doctors determined that the female victim had two black eyes, scratches and extensive bruising on her face, arms, chest, shoulders, torso, hips and legs. She had red marks on her arms and throat, and injuries from whipping on her back, torso and legs. She had a bite mark on the back of her neck and blood from a laceration on her ear. She had second degree burns covering her stomach, groin, right arm and right leg. She also had two open blisters from the burns. All of this while she was 9 weeks pregnant.

The investigation determined that Gibson had whipped the victim with a coaxial cable, which he regularly made her retrieve for him prior to the beatings. He would choke her with the cable until she blacked out, and then pour boiling hot water on her stomach, groin and leg to revive her. He had threatened to kill her, a child and then himself.

“Defendant Gibson assaulted his victim in a series of senseless, sadistic attacks that earned him every minute of the stern sentence imposed,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. “We hope that his victim—and the larger community—can now rest easy, knowing that her tormentor will spend decades isolated from society.”

“The level of Mitchell Gibson’s violence and his cruelty toward family members during these assaults are shocking,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas P. Ravenelle. “We view today’s sentence as a just punishment and deterrent that will help to protect others from his abhorrent conduct.”

This case was investigated by the Fort Carson Police Department and the FBI.

Gibson was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Holloway.