PIKETON, Ohio — The Pike County Sheriff’s Office has announced the conclusion of a recent homicide case in the county. Kennith P. Nelson, the man accused of murdering Luke Bricker has pleaded guilty to the charge of murder, according to a press release from the Pike County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation into the homicide of Luke Bricker was launched on May 28, after 911 dispatchers received a call about an individual laying in the roadway along Route 772.
Within hours of the investigators’ arrival at the scene, Kennith P. Nelson was identified as a person of interest. After a 72-hour multi-county, multi-agency manhunt, Nelson was apprehended and taken into custody on unrelated parole violations by the Adult Parole Authority and the United States Marshal Services.
The Pike County Sheriff’s Office released very little information regarding this case to the news media.
The Sheriff said over 30 search warrants were executed across two counties, collecting hundreds of pieces of evidence, and conducting numerous interviews with individuals linked to the case.
On June 29, investigators conducted an interview with Nelson and his attorney, during which they presented their case. Nelson confessed to the crime and agreed to immediately enter a guilty plea, thus avoiding a potentially lengthy and costly trial.
In a hearing held on July 7, 2023, at the Pike County Court of Common Pleas, Kennith P. Nelson entered a guilty plea to the charge of murder with a firearms specification. The honorable Rob Junk presided over the case and sentenced Nelson to serve 18 years to life in prison.