In the small city of Newnan, Georgia, a shocking series of events unfolded in November 2020, leaving a community in fear and a family mourning the loss of 32-year-old Tangela Molden, an African American woman. Her life was cut short when she became a victim in a violent crime spree that claimed the lives of five other people.
On November 8, 2020, police discovered the bodies of Tangela Molden, 58-year-old Monte James Ballard, and 37-year-old Michael Lang in a room at the Motel 6 on Herring Road. All three had been shot multiple times, and it is believed they had been deceased for over 48 hours before being found. This gruesome discovery was part of a four-day wave of violence that had gripped the Newnan area.
The investigation into these deaths quickly led law enforcement to a single suspect: Nicholas Martez Nelson, a 38-year-old from Newnan. The crime spree reportedly began on November 5 with a home invasion and theft of firearms. Later that day, Willie Edward Bussie III and Kevin Duane Robbins were found shot to death on East Broad Street. Two days later, on November 7, Warner Mandrel Parks was fatally shot in a parking lot on Dowdell Street. A description of the shooter's vehicle, a gray Ford Crown Victoria, led police to Nelson, who was arrested and initially charged with Parks' murder.
As the investigation continued, evidence connected Nelson to all six homicides. Physical evidence found at the Motel 6 linked the murders of Molden, Ballard, and Lang to the other killings. Investigators believe that the murders at the motel occurred sometime between the other shootings. Authorities stated that Nelson had some form of relationship with all the victims, though a specific motive for the killings was not immediately released. Ultimately, Nicholas Martez Nelson was charged with all six murders.
