Man says his brain ‘exploded like a tsunami’ before killing sex offender who assaulted his relative

GOSHEN, Ind. (WNDU/Gray News) - A man in Indiana was found guilty of killing a sex offender who assaulted his relative.

Nicholas Stanley, 36, was convicted of killing Allen Cogswell, 35, at the Daylite Inn on Cassopolis Street on June 24, 2025.

While the jury was deliberating, Stanley admitted to a firearm enhancement that carries up to 20 additional years, according to Elkhart County Prosecuting Attorney Vicki Becker.

Cogswell was released from prison in May 2025. Court records show Stanley is a close family member of one of Cogswell’s past victims.

According to The Goshen News, Stanley took the stand Thursday in his own defense and testified that he initially planned only to confront Cogswell and beat him up.

Stanley said seeing Cogswell through the motel window caused his brain to “explode like a tsunami” and led him to decide to kill him.

“I decided that I had to do what I had to do to protect my (family); I had to kill him,” Stanley said under oath.

Stanley said he went to his car, grabbed a shotgun, knocked on Cogswell’s motel room door and shot him twice.

The Goshen News reports the state presented rebuttal and cross-examination evidence, including location data showing that Stanley left his phone at home and evidence about the distance he walked to retrieve the gun. Prosecutors argued the evidence showed planning rather than an uncontrollable, impulsive reaction.

The judge ruled against allowing voluntary manslaughter as a lesser included offense under “sudden heat.”

According to The Goshen News, the judge agreed with prosecutors that Stanley had time for cool reflection when he walked back to his vehicle to retrieve the shotgun before returning to shoot Cogswell.

Stanley’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 22.