Nineteen-year-old inmate Jayvon Hatchett, the suspect in a racially-charged stabbing last month, is now the suspect in the brutal beating death of Eddie Nelson Jr., the teen’s cellmate.
On August 25, Hatchett allegedly stabbed a 51-year-old white male in an unprovoked attack at an AutoZone in Columbus, Georgia. Hatchett, who is black, targeted the victim, a store employee, because of his white skin, WRBL reported, telling police he “felt the need to find a white male to kill” after watching videos of “police brutality” on social media.
Eddie Nelson Jr., 39, was pronounced dead early Saturday morning after he was allegedly beaten to death at the Muscogee County Jail by Hatchett. According to WTVM, Nelson had been in jail since August 26, after he was charged with violating probation and failing to register as a sex offender.
“I have a question for the Sheriff. Why?” Nelson’s mother told WLTZ First News. “Why did you put my son and that other man in there together? Why? Can you answer me that? I lost a son because of y’all’s negligence.”
“If this mentally imbalanced individual had been a member of the Ku Klux Klan, they would not have put him in a cell with a black person,” said attorney Craig Jones, who is representing the family, the news station reported.
“If he was a rapist, they wouldn’t have put him in a cell with a woman,” Jones added. “If he had bombed a synagogue they wouldn’t have put him in a cell with a Jewish person. If he had been that white kid up in Wisconsin that shot those demonstrators they would not have put him in a cell with demonstrators. I mean this is either sheer stupidity or meanness that’s the only way I can explain it.”
Last month, Meaww.com outlined the alleged hate crime incident at the AutoZone: “Hatchett was seen walking into an AutoZone on Tuesday, August 25, 2020, asking for a thermostat and after he was informed the store didn’t have it, he stabbed a White employee in the neck and torso seven times. Witnesses said Hatchett fled the scene immediately after committing the assault. The surveillance footage also shows him fleeing the scene.”
“UPDATE: Auto Zone suspect beats white cell mate to death,” posted media figure Robbie Watson, captioning two photos from inside the court, a mug shot, and a photo outside the AutoZone. “Jayvon Hatchett stabbed Auto Zone employee 7 times after ‘watching Facebook videos of police shootings,'” said Watson. “Hatchett smiles telling Detective he chose white man at random and stabbed him in the neck. Judge ordered Hatchett to undergo mental evaluation. He allegedly beat Eddie Nelson to death in Jail early Saturday morning.”
UPDATE: Auto Zone suspect beats white cell mate to death. Jayvon Hatchett stabbed Auto Zone employee 7 times after…
Posted by Robbie Watson on Thursday, August 27, 2020
The investigation into Nelson’s death remains ongoing.