A Colorado man accused of a deadly road rage incident has previously been investigated in two separate murder cases, including the 2017 double homicide in Delphi, Indiana.
The Colorado Springs Police Department announced the arrest of 39-year-old Daniel Nations, accused of running over 35-year-old Jacob Martinez on July 24. Officers responded to reports of a pedestrian being struck by a fleeing vehicle around 11:25 a.m. and later identified Nations as the driver.
Martinez was hospitalized in critical condition, and Nations was initially charged with first-degree assault. After Martinez died on July 27, the charge was upgraded to first-degree murder.
This is not the first time Nations’ name has been linked to a homicide. According to KCNC, he was investigated after the September 2017 killing of 60-year-old cyclist Timothy Watkins, whose body was discovered in a shallow grave near a popular biking trail. Nations, who was never charged in that case, was later convicted of menacing and weapons offenses for threatening two hikers with a hatchet in the same area around the time Watkins went missing. The incident earned him the nickname “Hatchet Man.”
Nations was also looked at in connection with the February 2017 murders of 13-year-old Liberty German and 14-year-old Abby Williams in Delphi, Indiana. He lived nearby at the time but was eventually cleared as a suspect. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office confirmed he is the same Daniel Nations involved in both prior investigations.
Nations remains in custody without bail at the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center, with a court date set for Oct. 8.
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Katie is a senior who has been on staff for three years. Her favorite type of stories to write is reviews and features. Katie’s favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
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