Jeremy Cornwell, a 43-year-old white male plumber from La Grange, Texas, was tragically shot and killed on July 5, 2017. His body was discovered the following day by his mother, Karen Cornwell, after he failed to show up for work. Jeremy was born on January 2, 1974, in Alma, Michigan, and had been working as a plumber for over 15 years at Daniel Cernoch Plumbing in La Grange.
The investigation into Jeremy Cornwell's death revealed that he was shot seven times at the front door of his home on Creamer Creek Road. The trial against Dylan David Nelson for the murder of Jeremy Cornwell began on September 21, 2021. Nelson, who was obsessed with a local teen named Tessa Mangis, had given her a .380 firearm as a belated birthday gift. When Mangis gave the gun to her boyfriend, Nelson demanded it back, leading to a series of events that culminated in the murder of Jeremy Cornwell.
Nelson drove from the Houston area to La Grange to retrieve the gun and stalked Mangis at her workplace, Sammy's Sports Grill. Unable to find her, he went to Cornwell's house, as Cornwell's son, Josh Thomas, was a mutual friend. An argument ensued between Nelson and Cornwell, resulting in Nelson shooting Cornwell seven times. Surveillance footage later showed Nelson's car driving past various locations, and he was involved in a traffic accident on Interstate 10 west of Sealy. Nelson discarded the murder weapon and his cell phone in a puddle of water near the TA Truck Stop.
During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence and witnesses that corroborated the testimony of a jailhouse informant, David Williams, who had helped investigators locate the murder weapon. The jury saw text messages from Nelson to Mangis and another individual, Ross Garcia, which further supported the prosecution's case. Ballistics experts confirmed that the casings and bullets found at the murder scene matched the 9mm pistol recovered near Sealy.
On September 23, 2021, a Fayette County jury convicted Dylan David Nelson of first-degree murder and sentenced him to life in prison plus a $10,000 fine. The case was investigated by the Texas Rangers and the Fayette County Sheriff's Office, with the prosecution led by County Attorney Peggy Supak and Assistant County Attorney James Herbrich, assisted by Natalie Tise from the Texas Attorney General's Office.
