Top left: CJ. Nelson, Sr.; Bottom left: C.J. Nelson, Jr.; main image shows the home where an 18-month-old was shot and killed. (Flagler County Sheriff’s Office; Google Maps)
A second man has been arrested in connection with the tragic shooting death of an 18-month-old baby girl who died in September 2023, authorities in Florida announced on Monday.
C.J. Nelson, Jr., 21, was arrested immediately after the girl’s death and later charged with manslaughter and a parole violation. Now his father, C.J. Nelson, Sr., 46, stands accused of two counts each of tampering with evidence and providing false information to law enforcement, according to Flagler County Jail records reviewed by Law&Crime.
“You may be wondering how C.J. Nelson knew how to stage a crime scene and what to do,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said during a press conference. “Well, frankly, he’s a dirtbag. And he probably learned it in prison. He has multiple arrests, a total of 18 charges since 2003; nine misdemeanors, nine felonies. Multiple traffic violations.”
As Law&Crime previously reported, a “frantic” 911 call was made stating that a baby girl had somehow been fatally shot in the head on Labor Day last year. The shooting took place before midnight on Sunday at a rental home on Ranwood Lane in the city of Palm Coast where multiple adults — eight total — were present, the sheriff’s office alleged.
When announcing the initial arrest of the younger Nelson, Staly hinted at the idea that his investigators were being somewhat stonewalled about the circumstances that led to the girl being shot.
“It would be a lot easier if everybody told us the truth,” Staly said of the other adults, including the girl’s biological mother. The sheriff said the child’s biological father was not at the scene.
“The child did not touch the firearm,” the sheriff added, identifying the weapon as an “American Tactical multi-caliber assault pistol.”
Those suspicions of a cover-up are now alleged to be borne out.
Only the accused father and son were there when deputies arrived to field the 911 call, the sheriff said, stressing this was a key point.
“During the investigation, it became apparent the crime scene had been tampered with and evidence was likely disposed of and cleaned up,” Staly said on Monday. “It was also obvious that, based on the evidence and scene, that persons that were in the house when the shooting occurred were not being truthful to investigators.”
The sheriff identified the elder Nelson as the alleged mastermind.
“Here’s what he did: he provided instructions on how to stage the scene,” Staly alleged. “C.J. Nelson was observed taking the firearm used in the shooting from C.J. Nelson Jr., using a T-shirt to prevent and wipe off fingerprints from being found on the weapon and placing it in the bedroom where deputies found it.”
The alleged shooter’s father also “instructed witnesses to provide an alibi for himself and his son” by instructing them to tell deputies they were both outside smoking when the shooting occurred, the sheriff said. Staly also said Nelson, Sr. instructed his son to “take a shower” at a different residence while other family members stayed with the child in the hospital where she ultimately succumbed to her wounds.
The sheriff went on to laud detectives as well as the agency’s major case unit for “continuing to dig to find out who tampered with the scene and what was done and by who,” in a press release.
“This case is a prime example that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree,” Staly said in the press release. “C.J. Nelson will never be the father of the year or even a day by his actions.”
“I’m glad and commend our detectives for arresting him,” he said in the press conference. “I hope he and his son enjoy prison.”
Matt Naham contributed to this report.
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