10-05-2025
Daughter of murdered Kansas Highway Patrol trooper reacts to killer's parole
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — It started as a traffic stop in 1978. The car pulled to the side of the road was the vehicle used by Jimmie Nelms and his two accomplices after a string of armed robberies. In the patrol car was Conroy O'Brien, assigned to the Kansas Turnpike.
Nelms and one codefendant were found guilty of kidnapping and murder after ambushing and executing O'Brien. Nearly 50 years later, on May 6, Nelms was granted parole. Despite widespread discourse across the state that the decision is unjust, the daughter of O'Brien, Neely Goen, says she forgave Nelms long ago.
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'He could live another ten years. He could not make it out. But if he does, I hope the years aren't wasted. I hope the gift is understood. I hope that something greater than myself, greater than Jimmie, greater than tragedy can come from it,' Goen said in a video uploaded to Facebook Friday.
In 2025, the death penalty wasn't practiced in Kansas, and the two life terms he was sentenced to were eligible for parole after 30 years. In a statement, the Kansas Highway Patrol called the decision 'disgraceful and disgusting.'
There is no date set for Nelms' release.
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