In a grim discovery on February 17, 2014, the body of 35-year-old Joseph Nelson from Martinsville, Indiana, was found at the Alcoa aluminum plant in Newburgh. The male victim's remains were located within the coal-handling system of the power plant, and the nature of his injuries immediately led authorities to suspect his death was not an accident. An investigation was launched, which would soon uncover a brutal story of abduction and murder.
The inquiry into Nelson's death quickly pointed to foul play, and it wasn't long before investigators identified four individuals connected to the final hours of his life: Matthew McCallister, his half-sister Jade Stigall, David Lackey Jr., and Shawn Grigsby. According to the investigation, Nelson was with Stigall, Lackey, and Grigsby on the night of the murder when they picked up McCallister.
The group then drove to a remote location in Warrick County, a place that would become the scene of a cold-blooded execution.
There, in that secluded spot, Matthew McCallister allegedly forced Joseph Nelson to his knees and shot him. The group then transported Nelson's body to a train car, which ultimately carried him to the Alcoa plant where he was later discovered. The investigation led to the arrest of McCallister on February 19, 2014, just two days after the discovery of Nelson's body. He was charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
During his trial, Matthew McCallister maintained his innocence, but testimony from the other individuals involved in the crime painted a damning picture. A Warrick County jury deliberated for less than two hours before finding McCallister guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The other suspects, Shawn Grigsby, Jade Stigall, and David Lackey Jr., pleaded guilty to lesser charges for their roles in the events leading to Nelson's death and received varied sentences.
