A man with 14 felony convictions was sentenced to life in prison for stabbing his ex-girlfriend repeatedly in the head and neck and cutting his daughter in 2019.

Michael Poomai Gibbs Jr., 51, has the possibility for parole following the stabbing of Patience Sallas, who was 45 when Gibbs attacked her at about 4 a.m. Sep. 19, 2019, after climbing through her kitchen window.

Gibbs, who stands 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 224 pounds, was initially charged with attempted murder and two counts of assault.

The assault charges stem from Gibbs punching and slashing the couple’s then 17-year-old daughter. Gibbs also cut the daughter’s boyfriend with the knife when they tried to stop him.

Sallas suffered stab wounds to her head, neck, chest and back, near the base of her neck. One of the stab wounds to the neck affected Sallas’ spinal cord. Sallas’ daughter suffered cuts to her face requiring nearly 100 stitches.

Sallas was disabled by the stab wounds and can’t work.

She asked Circuit Judge Rowena Somerville to give Gibbs “a long prison sentence,” according to a release from the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney. She urged victims of domestic violence to “leave their abusers because the violence often escalates.”

“If you are in an abusive relationship, reach out to friends and family. There is help out there,” Sallas said in a statement.

Gibbs also got up to 10 years in prison for injuring his daughter and five years for cutting her boyfriend. Somerville ordered the five- and 10-year sentences to be served consecutively but concurrently with the sentence of life with the possibility of parole.

“This sentence ensures Gibbs will be locked up for a long time. It is about public safety and protecting his victims from future attacks,” said Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm, in a statement.

In September, Gibbs pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree and assault in the second degree.

One of the responding Honolulu police officers said in an October 2019 written statement that when he arrived at the scene of the attacks, he saw Sallas bending forward at the waist, Gibbs holding her by the hair with his left hand and hitting her with a closed fist on the back of the head “in a hammer-like motion about three or four times.”

When he noticed that Gibbs had a knife, the officer tackled him while another officer grabbed the knife.

Gibbs had 14 prior felony convictions, four misdemeanor convictions for abuse of a family or household member, and seven convictions for violating a protective order.

Victims of domestic violence are urged to call the Domestic Violence Action Center at 808-531-3771 or visit the website for the Hawai‘i State Coalition Against Domestic Violence at hscadv.org. In case of emergency always call 911.