Four years after Destiny Nelson was killed, Columbus police charge suspect in her death
A murder suspect in jail has now been charged in the unrelated 2017 fatal shooting of 17-year-old Destiny Nelson, who was gunned down in her home at Bull Creek Apartments in what police said was retaliation targeting the wrong person.
Keyonna Latrice James, 19, was served warrants Thursday charging her with murder in Nelson’s slaying on Jan. 16, 2017, Columbus Police Chief Freddie Blackmon said at a news conference.
James is being held in another 2017 homicide, for an April 19 shooting outside a south Columbus church. She is to have a preliminary hearing in Nelson’s case at 9 a.m. Friday in Columbus Recorder’s Court.
Blackmon called Nelson’s slaying a “botched gang retaliation” for an earlier shooting. Nelson was shot multiple times in the front hallway of her home while responding to a knock at the door around 10:40 p.m., and died later at the hospital.
Police have said they suspected Nelson’s killer targeted the wrong person in retaliation for the death of Dominique Horton, 22.
Horton was killed Jan. 5, 2017, at Cusseta Road and 32nd Avenue, where a crowd had gathered to watch two women fight, authorities said. That was around 4 p.m. in the 300 block of 32nd Avenue, when a man pulled out a gun and fired shots at those who had assembled there.
Nelson had no connection to that shooting, and detectives believe whoever killed her went to the wrong apartment seeking vengeance.
Nelson was an honor student dual-enrolled at Early College Academy and Columbus State University. She was a member of the Early College Academy Debate Club, National Junior Honor Society and Students Against Destructive Decisions.
She was also a member of Pitts Chapel AME Church in Midland, where she served in the youth choir and as a junior usher, The Ledger-Enquirer previously reported.
Rewards totaling $25,000 were offered for tips leading to a suspect in Nelson’s homicide. Blackmon declined to say whether that was a factor in James being charged.
Earlier homicide
James was 16 years old when police charged her with murder in the death of Marion Ralph, 39, whose body was found around 6:30 a.m. April 19, 2017, in the parking lot of the Pentecostal Church of God at 322 25th Ave.
Detectives alleged James was soliciting sex, saying she told them she was “tricking out” with others at Cusseta Road and 25th Avenue when she encountered Ralph, whom she identified as one of her clients.
Darious Robinson, then 18, was also charged in Ralph’s death. Police said he was James’ boyfriend.
Police said James told them Robinson stayed in the Cusseta Road area while she drove around with Ralph. Both got out of the car in the church parking lot, where Robinson shot Ralph repeatedly, leaving ten 9-millimeter shell casings at the scene, officers said.
This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 7:13 PM.