STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – The man accused of stabbing his pregnant girlfriend to death at their Macomb County apartment was arraigned Wednesday on several charges.
Authorities say Damarion Goler, 31, stabbed his girlfriend Talic Mersina, 31, to death near the door of their Sterling Heights apartment on Sunday, March 24. Mersina, who was pregnant, was stabbed several times, killing her and the fetus.
At 3 a.m. on Sunday, Sterling Heights police conducted a welfare check at that apartment near 18 Mile Road and Van Dyke Avenue. Nobody was inside the apartment when they arrived, but authorities found blood in the hallway, officials said.
The same day, Clinton Township police were called to the area of Harper Avenue and Glenwood Street, where a man was reportedly covered in blood. Police found Goler and Mersina in her car in the parking lot of Goler’s mother’s apartment, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday.
Clinton Township police arrested Goler. Mersina was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Goler was arraigned on Wednesday, March 27 on one count of each of the following charges:
- Second-degree murder.
- Assault of a pregnant individual, intentionally causing a miscarriage.
- Tampering with evidence.
- Concealing the death of an individual.
The man was not given bond and was being held at the Macomb County Jail. He’s scheduled to appear in court next for a probable cause hearing on April 3.
Experts say homicide is a leading cause of death for pregnant people in the U.S., and that pregnancy-associated homicides have risen significantly over the past few years.
A 2022 article published in the British Medical Journal found that U.S. 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).” A separate 2022 study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that pregnancy-associated homicide “substantially increased in 2020,” and that the homicide risk for pregnant and postpartum women was 35% higher.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, anonymous and free help is available in Michigan and nationwide.
- Michigan’s Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 by calling 866-864-2338, or texting 877-861-0222. You can also chat with someone online at https://mcedsv.org/.
- The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached by calling 800-799-7233.