KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City man pleaded guilty Thursday to killing two teenagers and a 1-year-old child in 2015.
Joseph L. Nelson, 26, was sentenced to 33 years in prison for the killings. He was charged with with three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action and one count of tampering with a witness.
Prosecutors said Nelson killed Bianca R. Fletcher, 17, Shannon Rollins, 18, and Fletcher's 1-year-old son.
A witness told investigators that Nelson said he was in an argument with Fletcher in a home on the 5900 block of East 89th Street in Kansas City. Fletcher threw a diaper at Nelson, and he then shot her to death, according to court documents. He then killed the child and Rollins, who witnessed the shooting.
Nelson later told a witness, "I killed them. I killed them," according to court documents. He also described collecting shell casings from the scene and selling the murder weapon.
He was later indicted by a Jackson County grand jury for trying to induce a witness to falsely testify that someone else had done the killings.
His trial was scheduled to begin this week when he changed his plea.
