Scott Nelson murder trial enters week two of sentencing
ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - A convicted killer is back in Orange County court today as jurors are still deciding on whether to sentence Scott Nelson to death or life behind bars.
Monday starts the second week of the sentencing phase in Nelson's murder trial. This comes after an explosive hearing last Wednesday where Nelson acted out in court. Jurors heard from an expert witness, who testified about problems Nelson was having with the gangs at a prison where he was being kept. This led to several outbursts from Nelson about how his lawyers were handling the proceedings. The judge eventually had to step in.
Nelson was convicted of the 2017 kidnap and murder of Jennifer Fulford, who worked for a family in Winter Park. He admitted to killing Fulford during his trial but said that it was never his intent to take her life. Instead, he blamed Fulford's violent death on his federal probation officer, who was assigned to him following his release from federal prison in 2017.
"[I] was starving to death on the streets of Winter Park, one of the richest towns in Florida. The federal government turned me into an animal," Nelson told the court. "It was not in my heart to do that. It wasn't what I had planned. I didn't want to kill that woman. She had never done anything to me."
The sentencing phase on Nelson's trial is still ongoing and can be watched live below.