For Immediate Release
Jan. 24, 2019
A Kansas City man, 26, has pleaded guilty in the murder of three persons, including a 1-year-old child, in a Kansas City residence in September 2015, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced today.
Joseph L. Nelson, dob: 9/3/0/1992, will serve 33 years in prison, as a result. Three of those years were tacked onto the sentence because Nelson was convicted of tampering with a potential witness.
On Thursday, Nelson pleaded guilty to three counts of Murder 2nd Degree, Armed Criminal Action and one count of Tampering with a Victim or Witness in a Felony Prosecution.
A Jackson County judge sentenced Nelson to 30 years on each of the Murder 2nd Degree and three years on the Armed Criminal Action conviction. All those sentences were set to run concurrently. In addition, the judge sentenced Nelson to 3 years in prison on the Tampering with a Victim or Witness In a Felony Prosecton. Those 3 years were set to run in addition to the 30 years for a total sentence of 33 years in prison.
According to court records, Bianca R. Fletcher, 17; Shannon Rollins Jr., 18, and Fletchers 1-year-old son, Joseph, were fatally shot on Sept. 8, 2016 in a residence in the 5900 block of East 84th Street in Kansas City. A witness told police that Nelson was in an argument with Fletcher. She threw a diaper at him and he shot her to death. He then killed her 1-year-old son and another teen, Rollins, who witnessed the fatal shootings. Nelson later told a witness, "I killed them. I killed them." Nelson also described how he collected shell casings at the scene and sold the murder weapon. Later, Nelson was also indicted by a Jackson County grand jury for trying to induce a witness to falsely testify that someone else had killed the three victims.
Nelson was scheduled to stand trial this week when he decided to enter his pleas. Family members of the victims were in court today to testify to their grief over the loss of their loved ones.
For more information, contact:
Michael Mansur
Director of Communication
Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office
Jean Peters Baker, Prosecutor
Work : (816) 881-3812
Mobile: (816) 674-3954
mmansur@jacksongov.org
http://jacksoncountyprosecutor.com
*Charges are only accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until the defendant is either found guilty or has pleaded.