On a Sunday in March of 2015, the quiet of a pasture in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, was disturbed by the discovery of a maroon Ford F-250, a truck that seemed out of place, parked some 300 yards off Highway 157. The landowner's call to the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office would soon unravel a tragic story. Inside the vehicle, which was later found to be stolen from Mississippi, deputies found the body of 33-year-old Amanda Collins of Elm Grove.
An investigation was immediately launched, revealing that the young, White/Caucasian woman had died from a single gunshot wound.
The hours leading up to the discovery were pieced together through diligent police work. Investigators learned that Collins had been with 34-year-old Nathaniel Allen Mingo, a Shreveport man with whom she was acquainted. The two were seen on surveillance video at the El Dorado casino in the early morning hours of March 15, 2015. The footage captured a verbal altercation between them in an elevator, and Collins was later seen crying. This would be among the last times she was seen alive. After leaving the casino, an argument between the two escalated, leading to Mingo fatally shooting Collins.
The investigation moved swiftly. Within 24 hours of finding Collins's body, detectives from the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office identified Nathaniel Mingo as the primary suspect and secured a warrant for his arrest. Mingo, who had an extensive criminal history, was apprehended the following day in west Shreveport after a brief struggle with a team of law enforcement officers. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and held on a two-million-dollar bond.
Nathaniel Mingo's trial brought the full story to light. The jury heard testimony from a range of experts, including detectives, crime scene investigators, and specialists in firearms and DNA. Witnesses also testified that Mingo had sought their help in an attempt to dispose of Collins's body. Following a three-day trial, a Bossier Parish jury unanimously found Nathaniel Mingo guilty of second-degree murder. For the killing of Amanda Collins, he was sentenced to life in prison with hard labor, without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.
