The former GW student who pleaded guilty to assault for beating a fellow student unconscious last fall was sentenced Friday to six months in prison.

Chad Dauman, a former junior transfer student, pleaded guilty in February to assaulting senior Akeem Samuels with a dangerous weapon. Dauman got into a fight with Samuels outside of The Exchange, a G Street nightclub near Thurston Hall, in the early hours of Oct. 9, according to a police report. The altercation developed from a disagreement about football.

At last week’s sentencing hearing, Samuels testified that he had lost six months of his life because of the injuries he suffered. He said he recently had surgery to repair vocal chord damage caused by the assault.

“I tell my friends I can’t go out for many reasons, but the main reason is I’m scared,” Samuels said at the hearing. “I feel that this was truly an act of attempted murder.”

Samuels testified before D.C. Superior Court Judge Hiram Puig-Lugo, requesting Dauman receive a fitting punishment for the crime. U.S. Attorney George Pace, the case’s prosecutor, asked for Dauman to receive 20 months in prison, the maximum sentence.

Thomas Key, Dauman’s lawyer, said his client was prepared to pay the $31,000 in restitution but asked that he not serve any more time in jail. Dauman said he is a different person from the man who assaulted Samuels – citing progress in his anger management classes and drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs.

“Like a house; I tried to knock down the foundation and build anew,” Dauman said. “I again apologize to Mr. Samuels and his family. I am very sorry.”

Puig-Lugo sentenced Dauman to six months in federal prison followed by four years of probation. If Dauman violates probation, he will automatically serve an additional four years in prison.

After the hearing, Samuels’ mother said she was slightly disappointed with the sentence but was happy that the judge gave Dauman more prison time. “I thought he could have gotten more time, but I’m glad he got some kind of sentencing.”