Suspect in Washoe Valley killings recently released from prison, tied to Arizona murder

Washoe County authorities have identified the man suspected of killing two women in Washoe Valley and say he may have also killed an Arizona man days after he was released from prison.

Anthony Gustave Nelson, 40, who had been released from prison in Arizona on June 2 for sexual assault, is the suspect in the deaths of two women, ages 68 and 70, and who led authorities on a chase from Carson City to Sand Mountain Recreation Area on Friday, June 13 in which he died in a shootout with deputies.

Washoe County Sheriff’s Office is releasing new information today about the investigation of a double homicide that occurred on Friday, June 13, 2014 on Leo Bingo Court in Washoe Valley.

At approximately 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 13, deputies responded to the 4800 block of Leo Bingo Court in Washoe Valley on a report of a shooting that had just occurred. The reporting person advised that the suspect had shot the reporting person’s wife and then fled the scene in a white Jeep Cherokee.

When deputies arrived, they found a deceased female near the front door of the residence. The man who initially reported the shooting was nearby. Deputies saw that he had been injured by what was later determined to be superficial gunshot wounds and he was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Washoe County Sheriff’s Office detectives investigating this incident have now confirmed that the couple were friends of the resident where the shooting occurred. Investigators say that the couple decided to check on the welfare of their friend because she had not been answering her phone.

The couple approached the home and were confronted by the suspect at the front door. According to investigators, the suspect fatally shot the female victim, exchanged gunfire with her husband and then fled the scene.

The Sheriff’s Office has received confirmation from the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office that one deceased female victim has been identified as a 68-year-old female resident of Washoe County. The Medical Examiner’s Office has determined that her death was a homicide and that the cause of death was a gunshot wound.

As reported earlier, deputies also discovered a second deceased female within the home. The Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office confirms that she has been identified as a 70-year-old female, a resident of the home where the crime took place. The Medical Examiner’s Office has determined this death was also a homicide and that the cause of death was sharp force injuries.

As was also reported earlier, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office intercepted the white Jeep Cherokee that had reportedly fled the scene shortly after the incident occurred. A multi-agency high speed pursuit occurred that ended in Churchill County with the death of the suspect.

Four Carson City Sheriff’s Office deputies and three Nevada Highway Patrol troopers who were involved in the shooting and have been placed on routine paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation, a Reno Police Department spokesman said.

The Churchill County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed formal identification and next of kin notification for the pursuit suspect, Nelson who was released on probation from the Arizona Department of Corrections on June 2, 2014 where he had been incarcerated since 2007 on charges of sexual assault.

Washoe County Sheriff’s Office investigators have determined that Nelson is the suspect in the Leo Bingo homicide. Detectives are currently conducting an intensive background on Nelson to determine his whereabouts between June 2 and the Washoe Valley crime.

During their initial search of the Leo Bingo crime scene, detectives located a white Nissan Frontier truck with Arizona license plate AYE 9128 in the garage.

Investigators believe suspect Nelson drove the truck into the garage although he is not the vehicle’s registered owner. Authorities in Tucson, Arizona were notified and detectives from the Tucson Police Department are now conducting a homicide investigation at the address of the registered owner of the vehicle.

Washoe County Detectives have learned that the Nissan Frontier had been seen at the Washoe Lake State Park campground on June 12 and 13 and continues to ask for any information from the public that can help determine the whereabouts of this vehicle, and suspect Anthony Nelson, in the days prior to the killing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division at (775) 328-3320, or Secret Witness at (775) 322-4900.

The investigation is ongoing. At this time, Detectives have not established a motive for the homicides, nor have they established any connection between the suspect and the victims.