Next In Line To Die: Steven Nelson Suffocated Texas Minister

Steven Lewayne Nelson has proven to be a less-than-ideal inmate.

According to The Dallas Observer , Nelson caused quite a ruckus before he was transferred to Death Row.

During his tenure at Tarrant County, Nelson flooded his cell more than once, shattered a light fixture, and mixed a concoction of urine and feces which he sprayed onto other inmates.

Sounds like a real peach of a person. But the crime he committed to end up on Death Row is much, much worse.

According to legal documents , Nelson was convicted of the suffocation/ breathing death of Rev. Clinton "Clint" Dobson and the near-deadly and life-altering beating of church secretary Judy Elliot during a robbery.

Read More: Texas Death Row: Brothers Executed Weeks Apart For Brutal Beating

Judy's husband John was the first to see the dead minister and his wife, who was so badly beaten he did not immediately recognize her. Now, "a permanent fixture of mesh, screws, and other metal holds her face together."

NorthPointe Church in Arlington, Texas, is one of those churches full of youthful and smiling leadership. It has a modern-looking website and even an app.

Looking at photos of Rev. Dobson, and hearing remembrances of him, you can't help but think he added to that energy.

It's tragic to think that Dobson and Elliot likely felt incredibly safe and protected inside that church, only to meet with a heinous and horrific fate.

At first, no one knew who had hurt these people so badly, and a $10,000 reward was offered for their capture, according to WFAA News .

Read More: Texas Inmates That Spent Less Than A Year On Death Row

Of course, Nelson and his accomplices AG and Twist were eventually caught- it's hard to steal traceable items like a laptop, credit cards, and a car and not be found out.

Nelson used Dobson's cards to buy clothes, shoes, costume jewelry, gas, and a cigar. A man died so Nelson could have an Oscar the Grouch shirt. When he was arrested, he was wearing many of his new items.

At his trial, Nelson testified on his own behalf, claiming he did set out to rob these people inside a church, but that he had no part in hurting them, however, DNA samples from the crime scene indicated that Nelson was a "major contributor" to what happened there.

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Part of handing down a death sentence in Texas is considering "future dangerousness." This was probably not a difficult decision, as Nelson had a long list of juvenile and adult offenses, showing a long history of criminal behavior.

And while awaiting trial for the Dobson murder, he killed a mentally challenged inmate:

Appellant [Nelson] was in the day room of the holding area, and he talked Holden into faking a suicide attempt to cause Holden to be moved to a different part of the jail.

Holden came to the cell bars, and appellant looped a blanket around Holden's neck. Appellant tightened the blanket by bracing his feet on the bars and pulling with both hands on the blanket. Holden's back was against the bars and he was being pulled up almost off his feet. It took four minutes for Holden to die.

Afterwards, appellant did a "celebration dance" in the style of Chuck Berry, "where he hops on one foot and plays the guitar." Appellant used a broom stick, which he had previously used to poke another mentally challenged inmate in the eye, as a guitar.

Steven Nelson's execution is scheduled for February 5th, 2025, about 14 years after the murder of Dobson. It's a pretty quick turnaround for a death penalty case.

I have a feeling the Governor won't be making a last-minute call to save him.