SCOOP: 35-year-old SC man arrested for murder in NC
William Steele, of Boiling Springs, was arrested today according to jail records. He allegedly shot Robert Nelon in November.
William Steele, 35, of Boiling Springs, SC, was arrested earlier today on second degree murder charges, according to the Rutherford County Detention Center. “From my understanding, he turned himself in today,” Sheriff James Aaron Ellenburg exclusively told Cops & Congress. Robert Nelon, 58, of Mill Spring, was an Army veteran who was engaged at the time of his death according to his obituary. Police and court documents say he died in November, allegedly shot by Steele.
On Nov. 18, 2023, the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a shooting off of Chase High Road in Forest City. At the scene, authorities found a victim shot in the abdomen, identified as Robert Nelon, the Sheriff’s Office said in a press release on Feb. 2.
He was taken to Spartanburg Medical Center where he died from his injuries several days later. After a lengthy investigation and multiple interviews, the case was presented to a grand jury in Rutherford County on Jan. 22, 2024, and a true bill of indictment was issued for Steele for second-degree murder, “inherently dangerous without regard to human life.”
On Feb. 1 Steele turned himself in at the Rutherford County Detention Center where he received a $600,000 secured bond. He was ordered not to contact any potential witnesses in the case. He is due in court on March 27. Read the exclusive court documents here.
The RCSO first said Nelon was shot on Nov. 11, but corrected it to Nov. 18 after I asked Sheriff Ellenburg for clarification. The indictment shows the dates of the offense from Nov. 18-23, 2023. I reported the breaking news details on X (formerly Twitter).
Nelon’s mother, Dianne Mauney, stated in a comment to this article posted on Facebook that Steele allegedly “partied in the very building where you shot my son.” Sheriff Ellenburg said he was unable to comment when I asked further questions about the location of the shooting.
For the last 10 years, Nelon enjoyed riding his motorcycle, fishing, spending time with his two sons, and helping the community. His obituary said that a graveside service was held on December 5, 2023, at Polk Memorial Gardens in Columbus with military rites.
The indictment shows a Morganton address for Steele. It is the general policy of Cops & Congress to use the address listed on the initial detention center report. The Feb. 1 RSCO jail report said Boiling Springs, SC, while the RCSO press release said Spartanburg.
Editor’s note: Due to an internet outage on Feb. 2 this article was updated on Feb. 3 with new details provided by the Sheriff’s Office, court records and the victim’s mother.
Situational awareness: A scoop is an important news story that is first reported by a journalist. This goes a step beyond breaking news when no other journalists are known to be reporting on an important issue.
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