A Georgia Man Is Accused of Running Over His Estranged Wife in a Ram 1500 and Waiting More Than an Hour to Call 911
by Jerome London · Thought CatalogUpdated 2 minutes ago, October 29, 2026
Prosecutors say Nelson David Clements, 64, knew his estranged wife was holding onto his truck when he accelerated and ran her over. They allege he then dragged Janice Frazier Clements, 58, back to her house, waited more than an hour to call 911 and never told police or medical workers that she’d been struck by the truck.
Janice died after the June 21, 2026, incident in DeKalb County, Georgia. According to the indictment, she grabbed the passenger-side door handle as Nelson pulled a Ram 1500 out of her driveway on Leisure Springs Circle. Prosecutors say he ran her over in the street and failed to stop immediately or provide assistance.
Police received a serious-injury call at 2:54 a.m. Janice was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
A grand jury indicted Nelson on October 13. He was arrested October 23 and remains jailed without bond.
The charges include 2 counts of first-degree homicide by vehicle, reckless driving, hit-and-run resulting in serious injury or death, stalking and concealing the death of another. The stalking count alleges unwanted contact at her home to harass and intimidate her the day before she died.
The vehicle-homicide charges concern a death allegedly caused through traffic offenses, including reckless driving or hit-and-run. He hasn’t been charged with malice murder or convicted, and no arraignment or trial date has been set.
Janice’s nephew Chris Frazier and niece Ashley Black say home surveillance captured Nelson arriving uninvited around 2 a.m. They say he appeared to drink from a flask and believe Janice was trying to stop him from driving drunk. They also say the footage shows him dragging her up the steep driveway into the house after the impact.
Her family says he changed her clothes, called her son and told him he didn’t know what had happened. They say timestamped footage supports the allegation that more than an hour passed before the 911 call. Her relatives spent months pressing for an arrest.
Nelson has described her death as a tragic accident. His lawyer, Jackie Patterson, disputes that Nelson was drinking and says Janice caused the accident by grabbing the truck. No public toxicology results have been reported for either of them.
Patterson says Janice was still alive and asked Nelson, “Take me in the house.” He also says police directed Nelson to put clothes on her, an account police haven’t publicly confirmed. Patterson says he’s seeking a bond hearing and will argue at trial that her death was a “complete accident.”
Want more Thought Catalog? Follow us on Facebook or head to our website.