February 27, 2025-

A Davidson County Jury returned a GUILTY verdict on the charge of First Degree Premeditated Murder against 27-year-old Ralph Nevels Jr. in the 2021 killing of 23-year-old Miguel Ontiveros. 

It took the jury less than three hours to find Nevels guilty of the murder, which was reported by the media at the time as a road rage style shooting.  Excellent work by Metro Police, however, revealed that Miguel Ontiveros and the defendant were actually feuding over a woman at the time.   That feud resulted in the defendant pursuing the victim along Charlotte Avenue in West Nashville, then spraying his Hyundai Sonata with several rounds, killing the victim.  The defendant, Nevels, was later located in Mt. Juliet, TN (just east of Nashville) and arrested.

Excellent work by the Nashville District Attorney’s office to gather experts, witnesses, and even the woman the two men were feuding over, to be part of the prosecution and successful outcome.  The victim’s family was both relieved and overjoyed with the jury’s verdict, praising the work of prosecutors and the entire Nashville District Attorney’s office.   

The Criminal Court Division I Prosecution Team included Assistant District Attorneys Chantley Frazier and Derick Blakely, along with Victim Witness Coordinator Cathy Harrison, Investigator Randy Martin, and Secretary Candace Felts.  

With the conviction, Nevels received an automatic life sentence behind bars.

 

Victim: Miguel Ontiveros   A very relieved family with the Nashville Prosecution Team

 

Defendant Ralph Nevels, Jr.

Albert Mustapha was found Guilty this month in the 2017 murder of a Nashville mother and her son.   The Davidson County jury found Mustapha Guilty of TWO counts of First Degree Premediated Murder, TWO counts of First Degree Felony Murder, one count of Especially Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Burglary, and possession of a Dangerous Weapon during the Commission of a Dangerous Felony. 

Congratulations to Division I Team Leader, Assistant District Attorney Wesley King, along with Assistant District Attorney Kendall Ponchillia, and the entire Division I team on a Guilty verdict on all 7 counts in a horrible double murder case from 2017.

General King describes the details of the case:

Albert Mustapha was charged, along with co-Defendants Kendre Shields and Chasitie Smith, with murdering a young man named Osmani Munongerwa and his mother Isha Musa in their home the evening of July 22, 2017.  Mr. Munongerwa was shot multiple times in his upstairs bedroom and Ms. Musa was shot multiple times on the first floor at the foot of the stairs.  Ms. Musa had left Somalia about 20 years before and Osmani was born shortly after in Kenya.  Found in Ms. Musa’s bedroom were practice questions in anticipation of her upcoming American citizenship exam.  Four TDOC inmates were called to testify at the trial.  The trial had several unique moments, including a witness feigning a violent seizure on the witness stand and another witness who testified that he alone was responsible for the murders not Mr. Mustapha.

General King says A LOT of Praise goes out for the Teamwork to secure Justice in this case:

“Kendall Ponchillia insisted on joining the team a few days before trial and put in more work than there were hours from that point moving forward.  The amount of work she poured into the case was monumental, handling numerous key witnesses and digital presentations with very little time to prepare.  She delivered a blistering closing argument.  Division I Secretary Candice Felts took care of all the rest of our cases all week, allowing us time to focus on the complexities and challenges of this trial.   Digital Specialist Lili Wall was incredible dealing with numerous last second requests, including scrambling over to Court to assist with videos on the fly, fielding late night SOS requests, and becoming an active trial participant during closing argument.  Investigator Randy Martin was clutch in securing witnesses and evidence.  Assistant Director of Finance, Ethan Burns handled a very late request for an out-of-state witness that we had to have.  And of course, Division I Victim Witness Coordinator Cathy Harrison was absolutely wonderful with the family.  There were multiple family and community members present each day of the trial, and Cathy navigated their various needs (including Somali translators) brilliantly.  I cannot say enough about all these folks – each of them was critical in securing justice for the family.”

Mustapha was convicted in Murfreesboro last year of another count of First Degree Murder.  Automatic life sentences were imposed upon conviction in our case.  There will be a sentencing hearing in March for the Court to determine whether any of the counts will be imposed consecutively.  In conjunction with his Murfreesboro case, Mr. Mustapha could be sentenced to close to 180 – 200 years if counts are imposed consecutively.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ENTIRE DIVISION 1 TEAM IN SECURING JUSTICE FOR THE DEATHS OF A MOTHER AND SON.

Albert Mustapha

Long Awaited Justice for the family of 18-year-old Brandon Adams, an 18-year-old basketball standout, gunned down seven years ago.

Facebook photos of victim Brandon Adams

Congratulations to Assistant District Attorneys Chris Buford and Lindsey Moreland,  Victim Witness Coordinator Alex Ondrus, along with Investigator Randy Martin, who helped get the evidence while Investigator Steve Turner was out.  The Division V Media Analyst, Michael Pointer, played a BIG role in making sure everything was together, as did Nick Griffin, the Division V Criminal Court Secretary who prepared the case for trial.

VWC Alex Ondrus says the family was extremely happy, as they’ve been waiting 7 years for this day.   She admits there were “a lot of happy tears, big hugs, and hallelujah’s when they heard about the verdict.   The case took an unusually long time to get to Criminal Court Trial, as the defendant was 16 years of age at the time of the murder, and had to be transferred to adult court for the eventual trial.  The year-long COVID court shutdown made the wait even harder on the victim’s family, who showed great patience and unwavering belief in the District Attorney’s office and Metro Police that Justice would come soon.  That day arrived with GUILTY verdicts earlier this month on charges of First Degree Premeditated Murder, First Degree Felony Murder, Especially Aggravated Robbery, and Aggravated Robbery with a Weapon. 

Finally, they said, Justice for Brandon.

The family told ADA’s Chris Buford and Lindsey Moreland multiple times how great of a job they did and how appreciative they have been for all their work.  The family members were super kind and patient throughout the whole week, and it was a joy to see them get a small sense of peace and justice in the face of such a devastating loss”.

Sentencing for Frazier will be April 10, 2025.

Timothy Frazier

John Holman Jr. was recently found guilty of First Degree Premeditated Murder after just 2 hours of deliberation for the 2018 murder of his girlfriend, Donna Adams.

Assistant District Attorneys Debbie Housel and Kristen Taylor, along with Victim Witness Coordinators Brittany LaDuke and Susan Tucker Smith, secured the verdict earlier this month in Criminal Court Division VI.

General Housel praised the work of the entire team, especially ADA Kristen Taylor, who was ‘fantastic’ during second close and effectively shut down the defense claim of Voluntary Manslaughter.   That work, and the visual of General Housel swinging a baseball bat during closing arguments to show the heinousness of the crime, convinced the jury to convict and awarded justice to the family of victim Donna Adams.

The details of this crime are gruesome, as described by General Housel following the verdict.

46-year-old Donna Adams’ bludgeoned body was found by North Precinct officers on July 9^th, 2018 laying in the bathroom of her North Nashville home.  A few inches from her head, officers discovered a bloody wooden bat that Holman had used to strike the victim a minimum of 10 times resulting in her death.

Both of the victim’s arms were broken, one in two places, as she tried to protect her head from the repeated blows.  The victim suffered extensive injury and was also strangled. 

The victim was discovered in Nashville after Holman drove his truck into the Cumberland River in Clarksville in an apparent suicide attempt.  When he was rescued by a boater, he admitted that he tried to commit suicide because he had “hurt” Ms. Adams with a bat.

“Donna Adams’ last hours on this earth were that of a horror story – her home became a torture chamber.”  “In addition to the multiple and catastrophic blows, the Defendant also shaved her head, threatened to burn her to death with lighter fluid and threatened to dismember her with a reciprocal saw.”

“Donna Adams and her family finally received justice after six and a half long years,” said Assistant District Attorney Debbie Housel.  “When the Davidson County jury announced their verdict, Ms. Adams two daughters who courageously testified against their father yesterday were overcome with joy,” Housel said.

“The victim’s twin sister and other relatives were overjoyed with the verdict and expressed their sincere appreciation to the police, the court and our office,” said co-counsel, Assistant District Attorney Kristen Taylor.

Congratulations to the Nashville District Attorney’s prosecutorial team as they achieve a measure of peace and justice to the family of victim Donna Adams.

Don’t attempt to scam the state of Tennessee when it comes to paying taxes.

That’s the message from Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk and the Tennessee Department of Revenue.  The two agencies teamed up earlier this year to indict and arrest Paul E. Cox, the owner of Southeast Automotive in Nashville, on 6 felony counts of tax evasion and one count of theft over a quarter of million dollars.   The indictments allege Cox falsified monthly sales tax returns and knowingly failed to remit sale tax of more than $250,000 to the TN Dept. of Revenue.   If convicted, Cox could face more than 25 years in prison and close to $100,000 in fines.

If you suspect violations of Tennessee’s revenue laws, call the toll free state tax fraud hot line at (800) FRAUDTX (372-8389).

The Nashville District Attorney’s office was able to bring a measure of Justice and Closure to the family of Trashai’ Siske last week.  The 28-year-old Nashville mother of two was killed in her apartment more than two years ago by her boyfriend, Ricky Johnson.

Nashville DA Criminal Court Division VI prosecutors Luis Casas and Amy Hunter, Victim Witness Coordinators Brittany Johnson and Nikanna Bell, Media Analyst Alex Pendon, and Investigator Steve Turner presented the case in Criminal Court, Division VI.  After several days of testimony and proof, the jury returned with Guilty Verdicts on charges of First Degree Premeditated Murder and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

 

The state showed that Johnson arrived at the apartment of the victim, Trashai Siske, in the pre-dawn hours of September 1, 2022.   A neighbor heard an argument, followed by several gunshots just before 4am.   A man with a black mask was seen on surveillance camera leaving the area, with Siske found later by MNPD inside the apartment, killed after being shot 8 times.   MNPD used the victim’s phone to link her to the defendant, whose car matched the vehicle seen at the apartment.  The defendant’s car was later found abandoned in Ashland City, with identifying documents and a black mask inside.

Excellent work by detectives at the Metro Nashville Police Department, electronic tracking, and the DA team’s skillful ability to piece the puzzle together resulted in a guilty verdict on both counts, and more importantly, justice for Trashai’s family.

Johnson received life behind bars without the possibility of parole.

Ricky Johnson – Defendant

 

Trashai’ Siske – Victim

 

Two teens accused of killing another teen on his front porch in Antioch in 2021 have been found guilty of first-degree murder.

E.J. Utley was 15 at the time he was killed and a freshman at Hillsboro High School.  According to police and court testimony, EJ was killed on his father’s front porch by then 16-year-old Wilton Alexander after being lured out of the home by Wilton’s girlfriend,  Trameisha Farris, who was 15 at the time.

Assistant District Attorney Jenny Charles tried the case, along with ADA’s Chantley Frazier, Wesley King, and Victim Witness Coordinator Cathy Harrison.  General Charles admits it was a hard fought trial, and she’s thankful the Utley family received a favorable verdict.

EJ Utley and Wilton Alexander had been close friends, playing basketball together growing up.  Their mothers were also close friends, and were both in court for the trial.  A unique aspect during the trial came when Detective Chad High (a Metro Police Department expert) testified that the defense attorney’s late disclosed exhibits were potentially doctored and unreliable.

The jury agreed with that assessment, as well as the other proof presented by Nashville DA’s Prosecutorial team, and took less than 3 hours to convict both defendants.  Both Alexander and Farris have been sentenced to life in prison.

Pictured below is the Nashville District Attorney’s team with EJ Utley’s family.   Also pictured are the two defendants.

A man considered by many to be the Kingpin of Nashville’s Street Racing Scene has hit the brakes, thanks to the Nashville District Attorney’s Office.

Austin Scott entered a guilty plea last week in courtroom 5D in front of Judge Melissa Blackburn.

Scott pled guilty to 4 counts of Inciting a Riot and 1 count of Reckless Driving.

Scott’s effective sentence is two 11/29 sentences suspended to supervised probation.  The terms of his probation are that he must complete a number of public safety courses, including the ADDC8 course and the Arrive Alive at 25 course, along with 48 hours of community service, and adhere to the ‘stay away’ order that prohibits him from any form of street racing activity or gathering, including through social media of any kind.

Community leaders praised the cooperation between the Metro Nashville Police Department and the District Attorney’s Vehicular Crimes Unit in the conviction.  Both agencies say the crackdown on illegal street racing and gatherings that threaten public safety will continue.

Demetriona Harper was found guilty by a Davidson County jury Friday, November 17th, 2023, on two felony counts, including Rape of Child.   The charges stem from October, 2019, when Harper was accused of raping a 12-year-old boy while she was babysitting him at The Retreat Apartments in Goodlettsville.   According to an arrest affidavit, Harper admitted she had sexual intercourse with the boy in his bedroom, and later admitted “she had let things go too far and made a mistake.”

The jury trial lasted for a full week in Criminal Court Division IV.  Nashville Assistant District Attorney Chantley Frazier prosecuted the case, along with District Attorney Glenn Funk.  It took the jury only four hours to return with guilty verdicts on all three counts:   Rape of a Child (a Class A Felony), Aggravated Sexual Battery (a Class B Felony), and Misdemeanor Assault (a Class A Misdemeanor).  Sentencing for Harper will be January 25, 2024.

Demetriona Harper – MNPD photo