Murderer tricked police into arresting wrong man after horrifying Facebook posts
Police mistakenly arrested Shawn Bailey, 33, for murder but soon realised he was framed by 34-year-old Nigel Thomas from Ohio - who faked social media accounts to confuse officers
An innocent man spent around 10 days behind bars for a murder he didn't commit - after the real killer staged an "elaborate plan to frame" him using fake social media accounts and chilling videos of the victim's body, Indiana authorities say.
Police were called to carry out a welfare check on 35-year-old Wilma Gayle Robertson on April 15 at a property on Hickory Drive in Hanover, near the US ' Kentucky and Ohio borders. They found her dead from stab wounds to the back. Later that same day, officers arrested 33-year-old Shawn Bailey of Louisville for her murder after finding what appeared to be concrete evidence against him. He had a video of Robertson's body and even appeared to confess to the sick crime.
According to court documents, the girlfriend of Robertson's ex-husband received a friend request from a Facebook account in the name of "Shawn Bailey." Two disturbing messages followed. The first was a five-second video allegedly showing Robertson's body on the floor, soundtracked by the Chris Brown song Stutter, with the lyric: "Got me trippin' because you really f**k my head up." The second message read: "Tell her babe daddy that he doesn't have to worry about her anymore and my bad for me and him getting in it over this b**** me and him both got the same last name I did him a solid favor."
But investigators later cleared Bailey using DNA evidence. The real killer, prosecutors say, is 34-year-old Nigel Thomas of Oxford, Ohio - also known as "Nati Bang." After stabbing Robertson, Thomas allegedly launched a calculated campaign to frame Bailey, creating multiple fake social media accounts to make it appear as though Bailey had confessed.
Police arrested Thomas on Friday, then dropped the charges against Bailey and released him. Thomas remains in custody in Ohio, awaiting extradition to Indiana. No motive has been released, and prosecutors haven't shared any details on how Thomas knew Robertson.
"The criminal justice system is ultimately a search for the truth," said Jefferson County Prosecutor David Sutter. "Multiple agencies across three states worked tirelessly in their pursuit of all investigative leads to uncover the crimes of Nigel Thomas and clear Shawn Bailey."
According to her obituary, Robertson was a certified nursing assistant, a mum-of-two, and was known for posting uplifting videos on social media to inspire others.
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