In the late evening hours of June 22nd or the early morning of June 23rd, 2019, 16-year-old Jaylen Marquise Nelson, a male, was shot multiple times and left for dead near the intersection of State Highway 113 and Meeko Road in McAlester, Oklahoma. His body, discovered by a postal worker on the morning of June 23rd, was found lying partially in the road and in a ditch.
Investigators at the scene discovered bullet casings in an arc pattern in the roadway.
The investigation into Jaylen's death quickly led law enforcement to another 16-year-old, Bryce Miller. Accounts from Miller's perspective indicate that the two were friends and that Jaylen had called Bryce for a ride that night. The situation reportedly escalated when Jaylen allegedly demanded a gun from Bryce to harm a girl named Jane, with whom Jaylen had been arguing. When Bryce refused, Jaylen is said to have threatened him with a knife. This allegedly led to Bryce shooting Jaylen in self-defense. After the shooting, Miller fled the scene.
Law enforcement officers descended on the home of Bryce Miller's grandparents shortly after Jaylen's body was found. Miller was questioned and subsequently arrested. He was charged as an adult with first-degree murder, and his bond was set at one million dollars. During the investigation, a knife was reportedly found a few hundred yards from the scene of the shooting. The Pittsburg County Sheriff's department handled the investigation, and the case was prepared for trial.
