In the cold of a February night in Lexington, Kentucky, the life of 19-year-old Mikel Willis was tragically cut short. On February 7, 2018, the young man was discovered near a dumpster behind an apartment complex, the victim of multiple gunshot wounds. A graduate of Bryan Station High School, Willis had aspirations of continuing his education at Bluegrass Community and Technical College.
His death marked a grim period for the city, as he was one of three young men under the age of 19 to be killed by gunfire in a span of just six hours.
The investigation into the death of Mikel Willis, a male, led authorities to a suspect who was already behind bars. Malik Rashawn Nelson, who was 18 years old at the time of the shooting, was charged with the murder of Willis. The charges came while Nelson was incarcerated at the Fayette County jail for another homicide. He had been arrested in May of that year for the shooting death of 21-year-old Christian Cubert, which occurred in April.
Nelson was implicated in a violent eight-week period where he allegedly killed two individuals. In addition to the murder charge in Willis's case, Nelson faced charges of trafficking in a controlled substance and a probation violation stemming from a misdemeanor robbery. Witnesses in the Cubert case informed police that Nelson had spoken about the victim having 'snitched on him.' Following an investigation, police charged Nelson in connection with Mikel Willis's death, bringing a measure of resolution to another family devastated by gun violence.
