Ke’Ron Nickelson, 21, of Alexandria, changed his plea in the middle of jury selection for his murder trial, in an unexpected move.
Nickelson was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of Ashley Mortle, 19, and Destiny Compton, 20, on Culpepper Road in Alexandria on February 7, 2021. Mortle was Nickelson’s ex-girlfriend.
The two women went to the Alexandria Police Department just hours before their deaths to report that Nickelson had assaulted them and threatened to murder them. They were reportedly told to return on Monday. Since then, the City of Alexandria has settled a civil suit with the women’s families.
We learned in the middle of the first panel of jurors that the state and defense had reached an agreement on a plea bargain. Nickelson pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter and one count of first-degree robbery and was sentenced to 40 years in prison on each count of manslaughter and 20 years in prison on the robbery charge.
The sentence will be served consecutively for a total of 100 years, according to KALB.
The sentence excludes the possibility of probation or sentence suspension. According to prosecutor Christopher Bowman, all three crimes are classified as violent crimes.
Before Nickelson was sentenced, Tamekia Brown, Mortle’s mother, and Wayne Compton Sr., Compton’s father, both gave victim impact statements.
”We got what we wanted, you know,” said Wayne Compton, Destiny’s father. “He’ll never be able to do this to nobody else, you know. So, families who might go through something like this, I would suggest, don’t hide it. If you see it evolving, pick up the phone. Don’t be afraid. Call. You might can save someone’s life.”
