What We Know About the Larry Nassar Stabbing

Disgraced sports doctor was stabbed 10 times, is 'lucky to be alive'
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 10, 2023 2:50 PM CDT
Larry Nassar Was 'Lucky' to Survive Prison Stabbing
Larry Nassar listens during his sentencing at Eaton County Circuit Court in Charlotte, Mich., Feb. 5, 2018.   (Cory Morse/The Grand Rapids Press via AP, File)

A few details are leaking out about the prison stabbing of former sports doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing college and Olympic female gymnasts:

  • 10 times: The attack occurred about 2:35pm Sunday at the Coleman federal penitentiary in Sumterville, Florida, reports the AP. Nassar was stabbed six times in the chest, two times in the neck, and two times in the back for a total of 10 times, according to CNN. He was hospitalized in stable condition on Monday.
  • 'Lucky': Nassar, 59, suffered a collapsed lung in the attack, a prison union leader tells the Daily Beast. "He is lucky to be alive and the only reason he is alive, in my opinion, is because of the staff members who were there," says union leader Joe Rogas. He added that Nassar mostly "kept to himself" in prison and hadn't had a previous conflict with an inmate in his four years at the prison.

  • Few details: The prison isn't saying much about the attack except to say it is under investigation, per NBC News. The suspected attacker has not been identified, nor have authorities speculated about a motive. Nassar had been housed with other inmates convicted of sexual abuse, reports ABC News.
  • Victim: Newsweek notes that the first woman to publicly come forward against Nassar wrote about the attack on Twitter. "None of the women I've spoken with are rejoicing today," wrote Rachael Denhollander in a series of posts. "We're grieving the destruction across so much. We're grieving the reality that protecting others from him came with the near-certainty we would wake up to this someday."
  • Victim, II: "I want him to face the severe prison sentence he received," wrote Sarah Klein in a statement of her own. "I absolutely do not support violence because it's morally wrong and death would be an easy out for Nassar."
  • Staffing: The two guards in charge of Nassar's unit on Sunday were working mandatory overtime shifts because of chronic staffing issues, according to the AP.
(More Larry Nassar stories.)

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