In the early morning hours of Friday, February 10, 2012, the life of Warren J. Nelson, a 46-year-old man from Columbia, South Carolina, was violently cut short. His death left a void in the lives of his family, including his mother, two sons, a sister, two brothers, and his maternal grandmother, who remember him as a loved one taken from them without reason or explanation. The questions surrounding his final moments have haunted them for years, as his killer has never been brought to justice.
Just before 7:00 a.m., Warren was found shot to death in the parking lot of the Gable Oaks Apartments at 901 Colleton Street in Columbia. Investigators with the Columbia Police Department determined the fatal shooting had occurred sometime between 3:45 a.m. and the time his body was discovered. The key to understanding what happened lies in security camera footage that captured Warren driving into the apartment complex.
He was not alone.
The video showed Warren behind the wheel of a borrowed gold, four-door Buick Century, with an unknown passenger beside him. After he parked the car, the passenger pulled out a gun and shot him multiple times in the back. The friend who had lent Warren the car was interviewed by police and cleared of any involvement. The motive for the brutal killing remains a mystery, as investigators quickly ruled out robbery. Nothing appeared to be taken, and there were no signs of a fight or struggle.
The investigation proved to be one of the most frustrating cases for the Columbia Police Department that year. Sgt. William Pegram expressed the difficulty investigators faced, noting the unusual lack of community members coming forward with information. "There's no reason why he should have been shot," Sgt. Pegram stated in an interview months after the murder. "He did nothing that we could see that was wrong... This one is aggravating. We have people come forward on cases. No one has come forward on this case." Based on Warren's character, his family believes the killer was likely someone he knew, as it was not in his nature to associate with strangers.
Six months after the murder, Warren's mother, Janie Haynie, described her life as a horrible experience, filled with sleepless nights and constant sorrow. "Every day is emotional for me," she said. "There's no day that goes by that I don't think of my son. No day." The lack of answers only compounded her grief. "If I could only know why," Haynie shared. "Maybe I could heal if I knew why. I don't know why. I know nothing."
Warren's sister, Carmen Glenn, also pleaded for anyone with information to come forward. "Someone has to know something," she said. "No matter how small. You may not think it matters but it does. It matters to me." The family held a funeral service for Warren on Wednesday, February 15, 2012, at Bethlehem Baptist Church, where he was later buried in the church cemetery.
As of a February 2016 report marking the fourth anniversary of the homicide, the case remained unsolved. The Columbia Police Department was still actively investigating and seeking the answers that could bring closure to Warren Nelson's family. No arrests have ever been made.
Authorities continue to urge anyone with information regarding the murder of Warren Nelson to come forward. Tips can be directed to CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.
