INDIANAPOLIS — The man accused of killing the owner of a near northwest Indianapolis restaurant pleaded not guilty at his initial court hearing.
On Aug. 27, 38-year-old Justin Jones, of Indianapolis, entered a not guilty plea in the murder of George Barnett Nelson Sr.
Jones will next be in court Oct. 16 for a pretrial conference, with his jury trial tentatively scheduled for Oct. 28.
The shooting was reported around 9 p.m. Aug. 21 in the 2600 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street, near West 26th Street.
Responding officers found a man who had been shot outside of a business. The victim was taken in critical condition to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The Marion County Coroner's Office identified him as Nelson.
Nelson was the owner of Pa & Ma's Backyard BBQ, which recently relocated to 26th Street and MLK streets less than six months ago. Nelson and his family have been making food in Indy since the 1990s.
“This is one of the few businesses that’s in the neighborhood trying to help the neighborhood make a comeback, and now, the owner of this business is dead,” said Rev. Charles Harrison, with the Ten Point Coalition. “That’s troubling. It’s troubling to all of us in the neighborhood.”
Nelson Sr. was considered a pillar of the community. Dozens of family members, friends, employees and customers gathered at the business Thursday to honor him.
“He was about this area too, so if nothing else, we got to do better,” said his son, George Nelson Jr. “He died for nothing. For no reason.”
According to the family, the suspect, later identified as Jones, was helping repair the siding on the restaurant. They say Nelson Sr. offered half the money upfront and the rest when the job was done. However, Jones allegedly wanted all the money upfront, causing a disagreement.
According to court documents, Jones and Nelson Sr. got into an argument because Jones allegedly tore off the siding he had put up the day before. Nelson Sr. then allegedly got upset because he had already paid for that portion of the work.
“Dude pulled out and shot my daddy in the chest three times, and they said my dad fell right over there in the mud, face down,” Brockelle Nelson said.
To many, Nelson Sr. was lovingly called “Big Dog” or “Big George,” but to Brockelle , she was lucky. She got to call him "Dad."
“I am a true representation of my dad. I’m a true daddy’s girl. My dad was like my best friend,” Brockelle said.
She said her dad had big dreams for the community and the restaurant.
“He was going to build something. He really was going to do it. My dad and I would talk all the time. He was like, ‘Brockelle, I got so many plans’, and I want you to see how they actualize,” Brockelle said.
After taking a backseat for a few years, she now plans to carry out his legacy of serving the community.
“He was always like, ‘I want you to run it,’” Brockelle said. “I’m back in Indianapolis now. I’m running it. This is our baby. This is the Nelson family’s. This is our empire. This is the legacy we are going to leave for my nephew and niece. This is what we are going to do.”
On Thursday, the Nelson family and employees did just that — they opened the restaurant for customers, with dozens stopping by.
“I know this is what he would’ve wanted,” Brockelle said.
Shortly before midnight, IMPD officers responding to a shots fired report in the 2000 block of North Bancroft Street, near Emerson Avenue and East 21st Street, located the suspect car from the homicide with three men inside.
The three men were detained, and police found two guns in the car while executing a search warrant, IMPD said. Jones was taken into custody and later arrested.
According to court documents, the two men who were with Jones claim Nelson Sr. pointed a gun at Jones before he shot Nelson Sr.
Anyone with additional information on the shooting is asked to contact Det. Ty Lambert at the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or email TyAnn.Lambert@indy.gov.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.