Pike County Prosecutor, Sheriff announce conviction in murder case
Pike County Prosecuting Attorney, Michael A. Davis and Pike County Sheriff Tracy Evans would like to announce the conclusion of the investigation and prosecution of the death of Luke Bricker, which occurred May 28 at 9256 SR 772 in Pike County.
On May 28, an extensive joint investigation was launched in the homicide of Bricker by investigators with the Pike County Sheriff’s Office, the Pike County Prosecutor’s Office and the Southern Ohio Major Crimes Task Force, along with assistance from multiple other federal, state and local agencies in several counties.
Kennith P. Nelson was identified as a person of interest within hours of investigators arriving on the scene. Within 72 hours, Mr. Nelson was taken into custody after a multi-county, multi-agency manhunt.
Nelson was incarcerated and held by the Adult Parole Authority and the United States Marshal Services on unrelated parole violations. Having Nelson in custody on these unrelated charges allowed investigators to focus solely on the homicide investigation.
During this investigation, detectives executed over 30 search warrants (in two counties), collected hundreds of pieces of evidence, and conducted multiple interviews with several individuals to build the case. On June 29, an interview was conducted with Mr. Nelson and his lawyer, where the case was laid out before them.
Nelson confessed to this crime and agreed to immediately enter a guilty plea to the charge, thereby avoiding a costly trial.
On July 7, Kennith P. Nelson pleaded guilty to murder with a firearms specification in the Pike County Court of Common Pleas, where the honorable Rob Junk sentenced him to serve 18 years to life in prison.
“I would like to specifically point out Investigator Alan Wheeler with the Pike County Prosecutor’s Office, Captain James Burchett and Detective Tara Tackett with the Pike County Sheriff’s Office, and Agent Luke Jenkins with the Southern Ohio Major Crimes task force for their excellent police work on this case,” Pike County Prosecutor Michael A. Davis said. “Special thanks also goes out the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Adams County Prosecutor, Scioto County Sheriff’s Office, Adult Parole Authority, Ohio State Highway Patrol, the United States Marshal Service’s SOFAST task force, OCIC, the Piketon Fire Department, Pike County Prosecutor’s Victim Witness coordinator Amy White, Officer Roger Risner with the Pike County Prosecutor’s Office and all the other men and woman in law enforcement that helped bring Mr. Nelson to justice.
“This was truly a collaborative effort by everyone and is proof positive of what happens when we all work together for truth and justice.”