Man, 19, gets life in prison for shooting sleeping father
Published 10:15 am Tuesday, August 11, 2015
LE CENTER — A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release for the fatal shooting of his sleeping father in their rural Minnesota home.
According to a press release, Jonas Nelson’s sentence was handed down by a judge Monday in Le Sueur County court. He was found guilty by a jury on charges including first-degree murder with premeditation in the January 2014 death of 47-year-old Richard Nelson.
Prosecutors said Jonas Nelson planned the killing of his father in their Montgomery home. A criminal complaint said Richard Nelson had a single gunshot wound to the head.
Defense attorney Richard Lea said Jonas Nelson was conflicted about shooting his father. According to the complaint, Jonas Nelson told investigators he “just snapped” because of how his father had been treating him.