Willie Nelson, 52, was found dead inside a home in the 2800 block of West Mulberry Street in Baltimore on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011. His death was not counted as a homicide right away. An autopsy later determined that he had died of blunt force injuries, and his death was added to the city's homicide count on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011, nearly two months after he was found.
The Baltimore Police Department investigated, and the Baltimore Sun's homicide database lists his death as a homicide.
According to the Sun's notes, Nelson "was found dead inside a home on Aug. 16, and an autopsy later determined he had died from blunt force trauma." That is nearly all that has been made public. The notes do not say whose home it was, whether it was his own, or who found him.
Beyond his name, his age and the block where he was found, almost nothing about Willie Nelson has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on the death in detail. He surely had family, friends or neighbors who remember who he was, but none of that has entered the public record.
Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown to the public. The record does not say whether he was beaten during a fight or a robbery, attacked by a stranger or by someone he knew, or hurt indoors or on the street. It does not say what time of day it happened, whether he died at the scene or later at a hospital, whether anyone saw what happened, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect.
The gap between the day he was found and the day his death was ruled a homicide is itself part of the story. For nearly two months, his death appears not to have been counted as a killing, which suggests that any early investigation may not have been treated as a murder case. By the time the ruling came, memories of who had been at the home in mid-August may already have begun to fade.
Searching for him is unusually difficult. He shared his name with the famous country singer, and almost every search for "Willie Nelson" and "Baltimore" returns results about the musician, including his recording of a song called "Streets of Baltimore." Any news coverage or family tribute for the 52-year-old man who died on Mulberry Street is buried beneath that noise, if it exists at all.
Mulberry Street is one of the long east-west streets of Baltimore. Because Charles Street divides the city's east and west addresses, the 2800 block of West Mulberry Street lies well out on the city's west side, among blocks of rowhouses.
Baltimore recorded roughly 200 to 280 homicides a year between 2007 and 2014, one of the highest rates of any large American city, and many of those killings were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Willie Nelson could be found in news archives or public records. More than 15 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew him, visited the 2800 block of West Mulberry Street in August 2011, or heard talk about what happened inside that home may be able to help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call Baltimore Police homicide detectives at 410-396-2100, or leave an anonymous tip with Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland at 1-866-7LOCKUP (1-866-756-2587).
