Beavercreek, Ohio — A Wisconsin woman is facing murder charges after allegedly shooting 55-year-old Michael Corrigan in his Beavercreek home last month. Authorities report that Janel Nelson, who has previous ties to Corrigan, is accused of killing him with a single shot to the head from a .380 caliber handgun.
The incident came to light on the evening of August 22 when a distressing 911 call was made by a woman who discovered Corrigan’s body. She explained to the dispatcher that neither Corrigan’s brother nor his fiancée had heard from him after he uncharacteristically missed work, prompting their visit which ended in the grim discovery.
According to police reports, there had been a complex and intermittently romantic relationship between Nelson and Corrigan spanning 15 years. Scott Molnar, a captain with the Beavercreek Police, indicated that Nelson was known to use several aliases and had multiple previous marriages.
The case took a significant turn when a Beavercreek detective tracked Nelson to Omaha, Nebraska, where she was staying under an alias at a women’s shelter. This lead emerged after a woman posted a picture on Facebook revealing she had reunited with her mother, Nelson, after 16 years. The woman expressed to detectives that her mother’s sudden visit was unexpected and raised her suspicions given her disheveled appearance and erratic behavior.
Further investigations linked Nelson to a 2002 Lincoln Town Car, found in an Omaha parking lot, which contained a .380 caliber handgun and ammunition in its trunk. The vehicle, registered in Wisconsin to Nelson’s husband, was instrumental in establishing a timeline of Nelson’s movements. Surveillance from various states tracked the car moving through the Midwest a day prior to the murder.
During her interrogation by detectives in Omaha, Nelson admitted to visiting Corrigan but denied involvement in his death. She suggested there had been a confrontation regarding a forced sexual advance, which she resisted before fleeing. Nelson’s emotional detachment while discussing the case and her subsequent request for a lawyer raised further suspicions among law enforcement.
Her husband disclosed to police that he was unaware of her specific whereabouts as she had told him the trip was intended for visiting friends and family in Ohio. He also confirmed that both a .22 caliber and a .380 caliber handgun were missing from their home.
Authorities confirmed that Nelson’s car was in the vicinity of Corrigan’s residence between August 17 and August 21, with the last sighting near Interstate 70 in Huber Heights, Ohio. The swift movement of the vehicle through the following states coincided closely with the timeline of the murder.
Nelson was subsequently arrested in Omaha and extradited to Ohio, where she has been held in Greene County Jail. She awaits her next court appearance scheduled for November 14, as the community and Corrigan’s family look for answers in this tragic incident that has left more questions than answers about the motive and circumstances of the shooting.