Man sentenced to life for child rape and attempted murder in Topeka

TOPEKA (KSNT) – A man accused of sexually abusing young girls over several years was sentenced Friday.

Katie Garceran of the Shawnee County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release that Zachery R. Nelson, 31, will be sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 1,758 months, with just over 146 years having been served. served on September 27. He was initially convicted during a six-day trial on June 13, 2022, of the following charges:

Attempted first degree murder.
Criminal discharge of a firearm into an occupied vehicle.
Criminal discharge of a firearm into an unoccupied dwelling.
Aggravated assault
Criminal damage to property.
Criminal threat
Aggravated criminal sodomy of a child under 14 years old.
2 counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child under 14.
Rape of a child under 14 years old.
Aggravated indecent liberties of a child aged 14 to 16.
Battery

Garceran said Nelson’s charges stem from sexual abuse of girls from 2016 to 2021, as well as attempted murder and criminal threats for his response to those crimes reported to law enforcement in 2021. He said was initially arrested by the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office in January 2021.

Retention Bonus Approved for Shawnee County Dispatchers

Law enforcement was called to the 4100 block of Northwest Beecher Road on January 7, 2021 regarding reports of shots fired in the area. Investigators found Nelson appeared in that area, at the home of a family friend, and attempted to shoot the person Nelson believed was responsible for reporting the sexual abuse to authorities.

Nelson was gone by the time law enforcement arrived at the home and no injuries were reported at the scene. He was arrested a few days after the shooting.

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