On the morning of May 9, 2001, 21-year-old Rashaun Julius Nelson was found dead on West Buck Street in Paulsboro, New Jersey. Nelson, an African-American who had played basketball and football at Paulsboro High School, was riding a bicycle when two men confronted him; he was shot once in the back of the head and his body was discovered in front of a residence at about 1 a.m. Investigators found at least 10 bags of cocaine and several hundred dollars on his person, a detail that prompted suggestions the killing may have been drug-related.

The investigation led to the arrest of 23-year-old Barry S. Green of Paulsboro and identified 22-year-old Jason C. Williams as a co-defendant. Charges against Williams were dismissed after a witness recanted. Green went to trial in 2004; the prosecution’s case relied on a key witness whose credibility faltered, and on September 29, 2004, a jury acquitted Green of all charges. The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office has said it believes Green was responsible, but no one was convicted.

If anyone knew Rashaun, saw him on May 9, 2001, or has information about the confrontation on West Buck Street, please come forward.