WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI — A man and woman accused of letting a relative die in filthy conditions pleaded no contest to crimes involving mistreatment of animals, revealed during the death investigation.
No longer charged with murder, Robert Dorsey Nelson, 43, and Karen Elaine Wibbeler-Nelson, 44, will have the last of their charges dismissed after each pleading no contest to one count of cruelty to four to 10 animals found in the dirty home. The charge is a felony punishable by up to two years in prison or 300 hours of community service.
They pleaded to the charge Tuesday, April 30, before Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Carol Kuhnke. A no contest plea means the accused does not accept or deny responsibility and is treated like a guilty plea by the court.
Kuhnke will sentence them June 11.
The pair was originally charged with open murder, second-degree abuse of a vulnerable adult, fourth-degree child abuse and cruelty to 10 to 25 animals after officials discovered the filthy conditions of their home.
Andrew Nelson, Robert Nelson’s father, reportedly died of natural causes in August 2020 at the couple’s home in the 7900 block of Crane Road in Pittsfield Township, police previously said. First responders on scene noted fecal matter spread throughout the house and raw sewage in the basement, police said.
The smell of sewage was throughout the entire house, police said at the time. A total of 45 dogs and cats were living in the home, prompting an animal abuse investigation, police said.
Andrew Nelson had several infected bed sores on his body, according to testimony from Washtenaw County Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Jeffrey Jensen. One sore was infected to the bone and would have taken several days to form, he said.
Read more: 45 dogs and cats living in raw sewage, excrement rescued from Washtenaw County home
Jensen, who also performed Andrew Nelson’s autopsy, ruled his death a homicide, citing signs of neglect and saying the conditions of the home contributed to his death.
Prosecutors alleged Andrew Nelson’s death was caused by neglect, saying the couple should have provided more medical care. The 76-year-old reportedly refused medical care, according to Susan Longsworth, Wibbeler-Nelson’s Ann Arbor-based attorney.
The murder and second-degree abuse charges were dismissed in September after the couple’s respective attorneys argued the prosecution had no evidence, only suspicion, they caused the 76-year-old’s death. The remaining charges will be dismissed at sentencing.
Read more: Murder charge dismissed for couple accused of letting man die from neglect
“The government points to no evidence that (Wibbeler-Nelson) committed a criminal act to cause Andrew’s death, and asserts only that she failed to do something, which the evidence also show that Andrew refused to permit her to do,” Longsworth previously wrote in an email to MLive.
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