In the early morning hours of September 22, 2013, a vibrant young Black / African American man named Palagor Obang Jobi, 23, found his life cut tragically short in the parking lot of Nina's Grill in Burnsville, Minnesota. What began as a night out with friends descended into a fatal confrontation that would ultimately lead to a life sentence for his killer and unravel a second, related homicide.
The evening's tragic events were set in motion by a seemingly minor interaction. Jobi struck up a conversation with a woman, which quickly drew the ire of her boyfriend, Shavelle Oscar Chavez-Nelson, also known as Anthony Lee Nelson. Words were exchanged, and the verbal dispute escalated into a physical altercation. Witnesses reported that after punches were thrown and both men went to the ground, Nelson produced a handgun and fired multiple shots at Jobi. The 23-year-old was struck eight times and died at the scene from his injuries.
In the immediate aftermath, Nelson fled the scene with two women, one of whom was his girlfriend, Ashley Marie Conrade. An investigation was launched, and Nelson was apprehended two days later as he attempted to leave Conrade's townhome complex in Rosemount. Conrade was subsequently charged with aiding an offender for her role in helping Nelson evade arrest. The case took another dark turn when it was discovered that the other woman with Nelson and Conrade that night, 20-year-old Anarae Schunk, was missing. Her body was later discovered, and Nelson was implicated in her death as well.
A Dakota County grand jury indicted Nelson on charges of first-degree and second-degree murder for the death of Palagor Jobi. After a week-long trial, a jury deliberated for just two hours before finding Shavelle Chavez-Nelson guilty of first-degree premeditated murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Ashley Conrade later pleaded guilty to charges of aiding an offender in connection with Jobi's death.
