LOCAL

Teen being evaluated for juvenile action in New Year’s Eve homicide

Dustin Haluska
left, Taylor A. Nelson & Matthew Mitchell

A 16-year-old boy who is charged with criminal homicide in the New Year's Eve shooting death of another teen in Greencastle will be mentally evaluated to determine if his case will be transferred to juvenile court.

Taylor A. Nelson has been transferred to the Abraxas Youth Center in South Mountain to undergo diagnostic evaluation, according to court documents. Nelson was being held without bail at the Franklin County Jail.

Court of Common Pleas Judge Carol Van Horn's order asks for a recommendation on what would be the appropriate treatment if Nelson was to be found guilty of committing the offense in juvenile court.

According to the juvenile court judge's commission website, the court will make certain determinations based on Nelson's family, his environment and other matters relevant to disposition of the case.

The case is scheduled for trial this fall.

Nelson is charged as an adult with criminal homicide in the New Year’s Eve shooting death of his fellow Greencastle-Antrim High School student Matthew Mitchell, 17, at 431 W. Baltimore St., Apartment D.

Nelson was a 15-year-old Greencastle-Antrim High School 10th-grader at the time of the shooting. He turned 16 on Feb. 1.

According to charging documents filed by Pennsylvania State Police, Nelson was mad at Mitchell for picking on him and got a gun from his father’s nightstand to “scare” him, chambered a round to further scare him, dropped the magazine out of the gun and eventually pointed it at Mitchell’s forehead and pulled the trigger one time.

Police were dispatched to the shooting at 9:51 p.m. and Mitchell, a G-AHS junior, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Taylor Nelson’s father, Mark Alan Nelson is charged with endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors and recklessly endangering another person in connection with the deadly shooting.

According to charging documents, Mark Nelson was drunk and allowed three teens to drink alcohol while there were guns and ammunition all over the home.