In the early evening of Saturday, November 7, 2020, Warner Mandrel Parks, a 39-year-old man, was in a parking lot on Dowdell Street in Newnan, Georgia, when his life was abruptly ended. A gray Ford Crown Victoria pulled up, and shots were fired, leaving Parks with fatal injuries. He was rushed to a local hospital but was pronounced dead. His family remembered him as a cheerful person who could brighten up any room he entered.
Investigators quickly identified the shooter's vehicle and
located it at a Red Roof Inn on Bullsboro Drive in Newnan. The car's owner, 38-year-old Nicholas Martez Nelson, was taken into custody for questioning and was subsequently charged with the murder of Parks. This arrest, however, was just the beginning of a much larger and more gruesome discovery.
As the investigation deepened, authorities linked Nelson to a string of other recent homicides in the area, describing the events as a 'killing spree.' Prior to the shooting of Parks, on Thursday, November 5, two other men, 39-year-old Willie Edward Bussie III and 43-year-old Kevin Duane Robbins, were found shot to death outside a home on East Broad Street. Following Nelson's arrest for Parks' murder, a welfare check at a Motel 6 on Herring Road on Sunday, November 8, led to the discovery of three more victims in a room. The deceased were identified as 32-year-old Tangela Molden, 58-year-old Monte James Ballard, and 37-year-old Michael Lang. It is believed they had been killed on Friday, November 6.
In total, Nicholas Martez Nelson was charged with six counts of murder. Law enforcement officials indicated that the killings were believed to be drug-related and that Nelson had a connection to his victims. The rapid succession of homicides rocked the Coweta County community, prompting a joint investigation by the Newnan Police Department and the Coweta County Sheriff's Office.
