Southwest
Texas convict issues last message to wife before execution for killing pastor
A Texas man convicted of killing a pastor in his own church during a robbery, days after being released from a court-ordered anger management program, was put to death Wednesday evening.
Steven Lawayne Nelson, 37, was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. local time following a lethal injection that was administered at a state penitentiary in Huntsville.
Prior to the injection, Nelson repeatedly told his wife, who was watching through a window a short distance from him with a white service dog she was allowed to bring into the witness area, that he loved her and that he was thankful and grateful, the Associated Press reported.
“It is what it is,” Nelson said during his opportunity for final words. “I’m not scared. I’m at peace. Let’s ride, Warden.”
TEXAS TO EXECUTE MAN WHO KILLED PASTOR IN CHURCH DAYS AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM ANGER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
File photo of Texas death row inmate Steven Lawayne Nelson in a visiting cage at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Polunsky Unit outside Livingston, Texas, on Dec. 5, 2012. (Michael Graczyk, File)
As the lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital was being given, Nelson told Helene Noa Dubois, who married him recently while he was in prison, “Let me go to sleep.” The drug appeared to take effect as he said the word, “Love,” then he gasped twice and appeared to try to hold his breath. His head, shoulders and arms trembled for a few seconds before all movement stopped. He was pronounced dead 24 minutes later.
Nelson was sentenced to death for the 2011 murder of Rev. Clint Dobson, 28, who was beaten, strangled and suffocated with a plastic bag inside NorthPointe Baptist Church in Arlington. Nelson killed Dobson as he was sitting in his office writing a sermon.
Nelson claimed that he had only served as a robbery lookout and blamed two other men for killing Dobson. He said he waited outside the church for about 25 minutes before going in and seeing that Dobson and church secretary Judy Elliott had been beaten. He insisted Dobson was still alive at the time.
Nelson said he took Dobson’s laptop and that one of the other two men who participated in the robbery gave him Elliott’s car keys and credit cards. The two victims were located by Elliott’s husband, the church’s part-time music minister, who did not immediately recognize her because she had been so severely beaten, the Associated Press reported.
OKLAHOMA EXECUTES MAN CONVICTED OF GRISLY MURDER OF 10-YEAR-OLD GIRL
Steven Nelson was convicted of killing Pastor Clint Dobson in his Arlington church in 2011. (Obtained by KDFW)
Nelson was captured after going on a shopping spree using the victims’ stolen credit cards, Fox Dallas reported.
Three days before the killing, Nelson had been released from a court-ordered anger management program as part of a deal with Dallas County prosecutors after he was arrested for aggravated assault on his girlfriend.
Relatives of the victims declined to speak with reporters and released statements earlier on Wednesday.
Steven Lawayne Nelson takes the witness stand to testify in his own defense in his capital murder trial on Friday, Oct. 5, 2012, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Joyce Marshall/Star-Telegram)
“As a family, we have chosen to take this day to focus on the great memories we have of Clint rather than giving time to his killer,” Dobson’s family said in their statement. “Steven Nelson forever changed our lives, but he has never occupied our minds…. We miss Clint every day. We miss his laughter and his wit, his advice and his love for us.”
Bradley Elliott, whose mother Judy survived the attack, said: “I hope that today as Mr. Nelson took his last breath that he was greeted by the same loving and gracious Savior that has stood by us through all we have been a part of.” The statement added: “Mr. Nelson, we forgive you and hope to see you when we are called home from here.”
This photo shows a gurney used in giving lethal injections to convicted death row inmates. (Sue Ogrocki, File)
Nelson’s attorneys appealed the conviction, claiming he had bad legal representation at his trial, saying they failed to challenge the alibis of the two other men and didn’t present mitigating evidence of a troubled childhood in Oklahoma and Texas.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesperson told Fox News Digital via email that condemned inmates no longer make last meal requests, but rather “choose from the menu that is available to all inmates at the Hunstsville Unit where the execution is carried out.”
Wednesday’s main dish options were lemon pepper chicken and a cheeseburger, with a wide variety of sides and “swirl pudding” for dessert.
Nelson’s execution is the second in the U.S. this year and the first of four scheduled in Texas over the next three months.
Fox News’ Louis Casiano and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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