Vanessa Rasheda Kelson was 42 when she was killed in the early morning of November 20, 2021. A mother of five from Bluffton, South Carolina, known to friends as Nessa, she had been staying at a friend’s home in Hardeeville.

Investigators quickly focused on a primary suspect: her 59-year-old ex-boyfriend, Simon Temple Atkinson of Bluffton. Evidence reported in the case includes the firearm found on Atkinson, gunshot residue on his hands and clothing, cellphone searches related to vehicle tracking, and witness reports of gunfire from inside the house. Atkinson was arrested that day and charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Court records show he pleaded guilty to both charges and received a total sentence of 35 years in prison.