![Sheriff Rick Staly says the suspect's dad, C.J. Nelson Sr., is "a threat to witnesses and to members of the [Flagler County] sheriff's office."](https://media.firstcoastnews.com/assets/WTLV/images/d4544320-9a42-4bef-893f-135fe2eb62c0/d4544320-9a42-4bef-893f-135fe2eb62c0_1920x1080.jpg)
PALM COAST, Fla. — Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly says the father of the Palm Coast man facing manslaughter charges in the September 2023 shooting death of his 18-month-old niece, "made veiled threats" to the sheriff's office and staged the scene of the shooting in a case update mentioned at a news conference Monday.
Ja'liyah Allen was shot in the head while playing with her mother at their home.
C.J. Nelson Jr., 21, was initially named a person of interest. Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly and federal authorities announced during a news conference in November that a grand jury said Nelson is responsible for Ja'liyah's death. Nelson was charged the day after the shooting with violation of probation and has been in jail on no bond since.
Staly says officers were called to the home at 2 Ranwood Ln. on Sept. 3, 2023, and when they arrived, they found eight people in the front yard, including Ja'liyah's mother. One person was carrying Ja'liyah, who was suffering from a bullet wound to her head, the sheriff said.
"The child's mother was going to take a shower, but it was too hot," Staly said in November.
The mother played with Ja'liyah as she waited for the water to cool down and "during this mother-daughter playtime, a shot was fired that went through a bedroom wall and struck little Ja'liyah in the head," Staly said.
The sheriff said that Nelson, who was showing off a gun at the time of the shooting, was high on marijuana. Staly said Nelson's DNA and fingerprints were found on the gun. The sheriff also showed a picture of Nelson holding the gun on social media during the November news conference, saying that he was "trying to be a punk gangster" at the time of the shooting.
Ja'liyah was rushed to the hospital where she died.
"The child did not touch the firearm," Staly said in September. "The child is an innocent victim."
Staly said investigators immediately went to work to determine who shot Ja'liyah, but didn't get much cooperation from the crowd of people at the home.
"Everyone at that home gave conflicting statements as to what occurred," Staly said during the news conference in November. "The statements frankly did not match the evidence. While deputies and paramedics were responding, we believe others in the home were doing their best to destroy and move evidence. They were more interested in saving their ass, than saving the life of a small innocent child or holding a killer accountable for his actions."
On Monday, Staly says based on the continued investigation, Nelson's father, C.J. Nelson Sr., was called and arrived on-site, "almost immediately" after the shooting occurred, as "he provided instructions on how to stage the scene." Staly also accuses 46-year-old Nelson Sr. of wiping off and preventing fingerprints from getting onto the gun used in the incident with a t-shirt and instructing others to provide an alibi for him and his son but to tell deputies, they were outside smoking at the time of the shooting.
According to Nelson Sr.'s arrest report, there had been "significant blood present throughout the residence," as the assault rifle style gun was observed "in plain view" in the closet of a bedroom Nelson Jr. was seen exiting from by patrol officers. 420 grams of marijuana, an "American tactical multi-caliber pistol" and 11 grams of a "white powdery substance" were also seized from the home after the incident, according to Staly.
The sheriff also accuses Nelson Sr. of telling Nelson Jr. to take a shower at his home at 32 Princeton Ln. after the shooting happened, while other family members were at the hospital with Ja'liyah.
Staly says on Friday, Jan. 5, deputies obtained an arrest warrant for Nelson Sr. The sheriff says he was arrested while he was putting money into his son's account at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. Nelson Sr. was arrested on two counts of tampering with evidence and two counts of telling law enforcement false information. A judge granted a special condition of no contact with Nelson Jr. on Nelson Sr.'s arrest warrant, according to Staly.
"Investigators also listened to and obtained jail phone recordings where C.J. Nelson Sr. made veiled threats against members of the media, deputies, Detective Gordon and myself," Staly said Monday. "Unfortunately, C.J. Nelson Sr.'s bond was set at only $15,000. And he posted the bond and was released. Our team is working with the State Attorney's Office to have a higher bond or bond revocation because we believe and I personally believe, C.J. Nelson Sr. is a threat to witnesses and to members of the sheriff's office."
Staly says Nelson Sr. has been arrested multiple times in the past, amounting to 18 charges since 2003. The sheriff also called Nelson Sr. a "dirtbag" in saying that he probably learned how to stage a crime scene in prison.