In an act of kindness that tragically turned fatal, 35-year-old Sean Michael Nance, a male resident of the Augusta, GA area, gave a ride to a friend and paid for it with his life. On December 22, 2016, what began as a simple favor escalated into a violent confrontation on Simpkins Lane in south Augusta. It was there that Nance was shot, an event initially obscured by the normalcy of gunshots in the neighborhood, according to a local resident.
That resident, however, later discovered blood on the road, a grim testament to the violence that had occurred.
The investigation into Nance's disappearance took a horrifying turn three days later, on Christmas Day, when his body was discovered in a wooded area off 4-H Club Road. The remains were so severely burned that dental records were required for a positive identification. The authorities were led to the scene by the mother of the suspect's ex-girlfriend, to whom the suspect had disturbingly shown the body.
The man Nance had tried to help, Zachary D. Allen, then 28, was arrested and stood trial for the murder. The prosecution painted a picture of a cold-blooded execution, stating that Nance was shot in the back of the head. They argued that Nance's good deed was met with lethal force. The evidence presented included the two shell casings found at the scene of the shooting.
Allen's defense attorney countered with a narrative of self-defense, claiming that Nance had turned the gun on Allen and demanded money. A struggle for the weapon ensued, during which it discharged twice, striking Nance. The defense conceded that Allen made the 'terrible decision' to burn his friend's body in a state of panic, admitting guilt to concealing a death but not to murder. The trial was set to determine whether Zachary D. Allen was a man who had committed a calculated murder or had tragically killed his friend in a moment of desperate self-preservation.
