Janel Marie Nelson, 53, of Thorp, Wisconsin, was sentenced by Greene County Common Pleas Judge Adolfo Tornichio to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 18 years after she pleaded no contest to murder with a three-year firearm specification.
Credit: Douglas County (Nebraska) Department of Corrections
Credit: Douglas County (Nebraska) Department of Corrections
The shooting
Nelson was charged with shooting and killing Michael Corrigan, 55, on Aug. 21, 2024 at his home in the 1800 block of Maple Lane in Beavercreek.
The investigation began after a family member of Corrigan called 911 around 9 p.m. on Aug. 22.
“It’s my fiancé’s brother,” the woman told a dispatcher. “He didn’t call into work so we came by to make sure he was OK.”
Corrigan’s brother and fiancée found the garage door up to the house when they arrived to check on him, and found his body.
On investigation, police found that Corrigan was shot once in the back of the head, according to the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office.
The shooter used a .380 caliber gun from 10 feet away while the man was sitting in a living room chair, according to an affidavit filed in Fairborn Municipal Court.
Corrigan’s family said that he and Nelson were in an “off and on” relationship for the past 15 years, Beavercreek police Capt. Scott Molnar said.
She had been married several times and most recently lived with her husband in Thorp, Wisconsin, police said. She is known to use aliases and variations on the spelling of her first name, including Jannelle Clark, Janel Rodriguez and Jannell Torres.
Investigations in Nebraska and Wisconsin
A Beavercreek detective tracked her to Omaha, Nebraska after a 30-year-old woman posted a selfie with Nelson on Facebook with the caption, “Seeing my mother Jannelle for the first time in 16 years.”
When contacted by police, the woman said he mother showed up at her house “out of the blue” and seemed to be disheveled and under the influence of drugs, the affidavit said. She said she was curious why her mother randomly visited after so long and “even had the thought she may be running from something,” according to court documents.
Police found she was using the alias Jannelle Rodriguez to stay at a women’s shelter, and found the car she had been driving in the parking lot – a 2002 Lincoln Town Car with Wisconsin license plates registered to her husband. The car was towed and Omaha police found both a .380 handgun and ammunition in the trunk after receiving a warrant to search the vehicle.
The prosecutor’s office said that in an interview she admitted to several key facts, including that she was with Corrigan just before his murder.
According to the affidavit, she said that early Aug. 21, Corrigan tried to force sexual activity with her, which she refused. She said she later fell asleep and only remembers waking up, grabbing her purse and keys and driving on the highway.
She denied having firearms or hurting Corrigan, the affidavit said.
Nelson’s husband told Beavercreek police that his wife said she was going to visit family and friend in Ohio, and that he gave her $6,000 to use on the trip. He said she has a .22 caliber handgun and a .380 caliber handgun, both of which were missing along with ammunition from where she usually kept them. He said he had not spoken to his wife since she left, according to the affidavit said.
Detectives said Nelson showed little to no reaction when told about Corrigan’s death, and soon after she declined to answer further questions and asked for an attorney, according to the affidavit.
Nelson was arrested in Omaha and later extradited to Ohio.
Staff writer Jen Balduf contributed to this report.
