In the pre-dawn hours of November 10, 1978, a brutal attack shattered the peace of the Rosa community in rural Blount County, Alabama, leaving Willene Nelson and her husband, Carl, dead. Two men, Aaron Lee Jones and Arthur Lee Giles, a former employee of Carl Nelson, entered the Nelson home with the intent to rob the family. The ensuing violence resulted in the deaths of Willene and Carl Nelson and severe injuries to their three children, Tony, Brenda, and Charlie, as well as Carl's mother.
The attack began around 3:27 a.m. when the assailants woke the family. Willene Nelson suffered a horrific assault, sustaining 29 knife wounds, including 17 stab wounds and 12 slash wounds, numerous lacerations to her head from a blunt instrument, and a gunshot wound to her left shoulder. Her cause of death was determined to be multiple stab wounds that damaged her heart, lungs, and kidneys. Her husband, Carl, also died from a combination of gunshot and stab wounds. The couple's children and their grandmother were also shot and stabbed but survived the vicious attack.
The investigation quickly led to the arrests of Aaron Lee Jones and Arthur Lee Giles. Jones confessed to his involvement in the crime on November 11, 1978, providing a tape-recorded and transcribed statement. His confession detailed the gruesome events of that morning. Both men were charged with capital murder.
Both Jones and Giles were tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for the murders of Willene and Carl Nelson. Their trials included the powerful testimony of the surviving Nelson children, who identified the attackers. After a series of appeals, Aaron Lee Jones was executed by lethal injection in 2007. Arthur Lee Giles died in prison in 2020 from pneumonia while still on death row.
