WILMINGTON – Michael Lynn Nelma, 63, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter on Thursday, Feb. 17, in New Hanover Superior Court. Nelma will be serving 64 to 89 months in prison for his crime against Robert Shorter Jr.
The incident took place Mar. 13, 2021 outside of Nelma’s house on Walnut Street. In a press release, the DA’s office noted the events of the crime: While Nelma was coming home from a friend’s house at nearly 12:30 a.m., he heard an argument between Mr. Shorter and an unidentified man. The noise, Nelma said, was coming from his backyard. When he arrived to the back, he found Mr. Shorter with a knife and a brick in each of his hands.
Mr. Shorter began lighting some of Nelma’s belongings on fire, where Nelma had to quickly extinguish. As Mr. Shorter exited Nelma’s property, he spout verbal threats, the release continued. Nelma went into his home, grabbed a firearm, and returned outside where he shot Mr. Shorter, who was walking on the sidewalk approximately 50 yards away.
Immediately after the shooting, Nelma called the police. Officers discovered fire damage on Nelma’s property, as well as a knife near Mr. Shorter’s body.
Nelma’s attorney informed the court the defendant’s phone was not near him at the time of the shooting; he dropped it outside from being startled from hearing the initial argument between Mr. Shorter and the other man.
Nelma expressed that the ignited items thrown his way resembled firebombs, and he worried he was in danger, which is why he shot Mr. Shorter. Though he said, he did so only to scare him off, not to kill.
Mr. Shorter’s mother gave a statement regarding her son’s death during the plea; she said she forgave Nelma but would not forget what he did to her son. Shorter’s mother stated this was the third child she has had to bury.
Michael Nelma, though remorseful, expressed he committed the crime out of self-defense. Nelma had no past convictions and if he abides by the rules in place with supervised release, he has the chance of reducing his sentence to 38 months minimum.
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