A Ventnor man once charged in the brutal beating of his father died of a drug overdose this week after violating drug court.
Thomas Nelson, 32, was arrested Feb. 7, 2016, after his father was found beaten in the Ventnor home they shared. He was charged with aggravated assault and criminal mischief.
But when 60-year-old Michael Nelson died two days later, the charges were not upgraded. Instead, a judge dismissed the charges eight months later citing “the extensive passage of time since the offense date and/or unreasonable delay in the prosecution.”
The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, then led by acting Prosecutor Diane Ruberton, disagreed with the decision, but no new charges were ever filed.
Thomas Nelson pleaded guilty in a drug possession case in July, and was allowed into drug court, which does not allow offenders with violent histories. He violated the terms soon after. That was still pending, said his attorney Andrew Imperiale.
"I knew him growing up," the attorney said. "He was a good guy, and my thoughts and prayers are with his family."
Michael Nelson was found beaten and bleeding inside the living room of his home after his son called 911.
“My dad's not breathing,” Thomas Nelson tells the 911 operator in a call that lasted less than four minutes.
“I’m giving him mouth to mouth,” he says.
When asked if he knows CPR, the man replies: “Not really.”
A spokeswoman for Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner said the homicide case remains open.
