On New Year's Day in 2018, 25-year-old Leticia Vela was fatally shot in the face in her Wyoming, Michigan, home. The tragic event unfolded after Vela and her boyfriend, Ladale Tracy Williams-Nelson, returned from a New Year's Eve party. Prosecutors stated that the shooting occurred during an argument between the couple. Vela, a mother of five children, was pronounced dead at the scene, leaving her family and community in shock.
One of her children was shared with Williams-Nelson.
Immediately following the incident, Williams-Nelson fled the residence on foot. He claimed to the police that the gun had discharged accidentally, striking Vela in the face. Despite his claims of an accident, law enforcement initiated a search for him. Police were able to track him down and arrested him a mile away from the home he shared with Vela. His arrest marked the beginning of a lengthy legal process to bring justice for Leticia Vela and her family.
Ladale Tracy Williams-Nelson, who was 37 at the time of the incident, was charged with open murder, felony firearm possession, and being a repeat offender. In February 2018, a judge determined there was enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial. During the trial, the prosecution argued that Williams-Nelson intentionally shot Vela during a dispute, while the defense maintained that the shooting was a tragic accident.
Ultimately, a jury convicted Williams-Nelson of second-degree murder. In June 2019, he was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison for the murder of Leticia Vela. In addition to this sentence, he received a mandatory two-year sentence for the felony firearm charge. The conviction and sentencing brought a measure of closure to Vela's grieving family, who remembered her as a loving mother and a cherished member of their family. The community rallied around her five children, holding fundraisers to support them after their devastating loss.
