Murder of Wilson Mannon

In 2011, Steven and Outten pleaded guilty to second degree murder. Their plea agreements allowed them to only admit their guilt as accomplices and called for a sentences of no less than 12 years in prison and no more than 42 years in prison.

Over the years, Steven and Outten filed numerous appeals. In 2006, Outten's sentence was overturned after a federal appellate court ruled that his lawyer had not done a good enough job in defending him and presenting mitigation. In 2008, his conviction was also overturned after the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that there was not enough evidence to prove that he had murdered Mannon "in furtherance of robbery". Because this automatically removed one of the statutory aggravating factors against Outten, the court found that this placed his entire conviction and sentence in jeopardy. Steven's conviction and sentence was soon overturned as well.

Nelson's request was later turned down after his kidney was found to be incompatible, but in 1995, Vessa received a kidney transplant from Steven, who offered his own kidney in his brother's place. Vessa asked for a postponement of the operation so she could spend her last day with Nelson, who had now waived all of his appeals and was soon scheduled to die.

Nelson was executed on March 17, 1995. He admitted responsibility for the murder, saying he'd found God on death row and said his decision to waive his appeals was partly out of frustration with prison conditions, and partly out of remorse. Nelson said he couldn't live with what he'd done and described prison conditions as "Day in and day out mental frustration. Pure stagnation. Hell without the flames." Nelson's last meal consisted mushroom-and-pepperoni pizza and a Pepsi. Before his death, Nelson was visited by his mother, his family, and clergy. He was also granted a 20-minute visit with Steven. When asked if he had any last words, Nelson said "No." However, he did leave a written statement:

In 1994, Nelson, who said he was planning to waive appeals, drew national attention after offering to donate one of his kidneys to his ailing mother, Vessa. Vessa, who'd received a kidney transplant nearly a decade earlier, had been told it was failing and she needed a new kidney.

The Shelton brothers and Outten were tried together in February 1993. Gibbons testified during their trial. Initially, she only implicated Outten and Nelson. After finishing her testimony, however, Gibbons asked if she could retake the witness stand, saying she lied. The judge allowed her to recount all of her prior testimony. Gibbon's new testimony mirrored her previous statements, but this time, as she'd initially told her caseworker when she talked about the murder for the first time, she implicated all three men in Mannon's murder. Gibbons said "they all three started beating on him", and that she saw Steven kick and punch Mannon in the face. Nelson's lawyer tried to have Gibbons charged with perjury, and the judge ordered a female police officer to keep watch on her house throughout the duration of the trial. On one occasion, she was placed in jail after refusing to get out of bed. On another, two detectives chased her across the street.

On March 5, 1993, the jury recommended death sentences for all three men. The votes for Nelson and Steven were both 8–4 in favor of death. The vote for Jack was 7–5 in favor of death. They were formally sentenced to death on April 30, 1993. Judge Jerome Herlihy said the men showed "an indescribable lust to kill."

On January 11, 1992, the Shelton brothers, Outten, and Nelsons girlfriend, Christine Gibbons, spent the afternoon drinking beer at Gibbons home in Newark. Outten bought the beer using his unemployment check. At dusk, after drinking about one and one-half entire cases of beer, the four drove to a local tavern in Nelson's car in Wilmington. On the way there, they discussed a plan for Gibbons to pretend to be a prostitute to lure men out of the bar so that the rest of the group could rob them.

Nelson was paroled on May 11, 1991, and was on parole at the time of the murder.

After his release from prison, Steven was re-arrested in 1991 and 1992 for robbery and a DUI offense.

The father of the Shelton brothers died on February 12, 1990, while both of them were still in prison. They were allowed to temporarily leave prison to attend his funeral. The two reportedly became depressed after their father's death, having looked up to him as a strong-willed individual despite his abuse.

In 1985, Nelson was charged with second degree rape. He pleaded guilty to sexual assault and was sentenced to five months in jail and a year of probation. In 1985, Nelson and another man stole a customer's car from a convenience store. He went on the run for two weeks before being arrested in Tennessee. Nelson pleaded guilty to first degree robbery, second degree forgery, and three counts of theft, and was sentenced to four years and six months in prison, followed by two years of probation. Overall, Nelson was arrested 11 times between 1976 and 1985.

When Steven was 15, he was charged with second degree rape. In 1982, he was found guilty and sentenced to 8 years in prison. In 1985, Steven's sentence was increased after he was convicted of assaulting a fellow inmate.

During his trial, Outten described his as a close family, but said he was "semi-abused." He said his father, who was beaten during a robbery in 1974 and suffered communication problems as a result, was not affectionate and was abusive when he was drunk, resulting in him running away. Outten said he'd lived in foster care, but left after he was accused of stealing. As his father's health deteriorated, Outten cared for him until his death.

The perpetrators were brothers Nelson Shelton (July 20, 1967 – March 17, 1995) and Steven W. Shelton (born July 11, 1965), and their cousin Jack Foster Outten Jr. (born March 23, 1966). All three men were convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death. Nelson was executed in 1995 after waiving his appeals, while Steven and Outten eventually won appeals, and had their sentences reduced to lengthy prison terms in plea agreements years later.

Wilson Mannon Jr. (January 5, 1928 – January 16, 1992) was an American man who was robbed and murdered by three career criminals in Delaware.

Wilson Mannon Jr. was born in Delaware on January 5, 1928, to Wilson Cummins Mannon and Mary Hanifee. He worked at Wall Board Distributions in Newark, Delaware. Mannon previously delivered drywall for 30 years.