In the early hours of May 19, 2019, the life of 35-year-old Matthew Nelson was tragically cut short in Clarksville, Tennessee. Just before 5:40 a.m., police responded to reports of gunfire on Sanders Road. Upon their arrival, they discovered Nelson lying in the roadway on Earl Slate Road, having sustained at least one gunshot wound.
The investigation into the shooting revealed a confrontation that had occurred moments before the fatal shots were fired. Nelson had approached a vehicle in which Joseph Nicholas Morris, then 25 years old, was a passenger. The driver of the car warned Nelson to stay away from his wife's home before driving away. As the vehicle was leaving, Morris allegedly exited the car, proclaiming, 'I'm gonna end this for good,' and then proceeded to shoot Nelson. A witness reported hearing several gunshots and seeing a man flee the scene, dropping a coat in the road as he ran.
Following the shooting, Morris reportedly fled the area with the help of his mother, Susan Shayne Ficklin. Authorities believe Ficklin was aware of the crime her son had allegedly committed and was attempting to help him escape to Indiana. Their attempt to flee was thwarted when they were located and apprehended by the Kentucky Highway Patrol on Interstate 65 near Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Both were extradited back to Clarksville to face charges.
In January 2020, a Montgomery County grand jury indicted Joseph Nicholas Morris on one count of premeditated first-degree murder for the death of Matthew Nelson. His mother, Susan Shayne Ficklin, then 48, was indicted on a charge of accessory after the fact for allegedly aiding her son in his attempt to evade arrest. Both were scheduled for arraignment in February of that year.
