St. Louis woman killed husband, tried to clean up crime scene, charges say

ST. LOUIS - A woman fatally shot her husband last month, then attempted to clean up the crime scene along with a witness, according to new charging documents.

The St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office has charged Beverly Nelson, 73, with one count of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the case. Prosecutors have also charged William Nelson, 45, with hindering prosecution of a felony and tampering with evidence.

Beverly and William are accused death of Herbert Nelson, 70, on August 20, 2025, in the 5800 block of Pershing Avenue in St. Louis' DeBaliviere Place neighborhood.

According to probable cause statements obtained by FOX 2, when police responded to the scene, they found the victim (later identified as Herbert Nelson) unresponsive on a couch with multiple gunshot wounds.

Beverly initially told officers she did not know her husband was shot and killed in the home, per her probable cause statement. Investigators later interviewed a witness (identified as William Nelson) who admitted to seeing Beverly shot Herbert multiple times during an argument, per Beverly's probable cause statement.

William also told police he personally helped Beverly clean up the crime scene before police entered the home to investigate, per Beverly's probable cause statement.

When police responded to the home earlier in the day over reports of an unresponsive man, William reportedly told them no one in the home needed medical attention, per his probable cause statement. Some time later, officers returned to the scene, and Herbert was found deceased.

Beverly has a court hearing in the case scheduled for Thursday afternoon, while William has been released on a recognizance bond and has a hearing scheduled for Oct. 3 in the case, per online Missouri court records.

Probable cause statements did not clarify Beverly's relationship to Williams, though investigators noted the two were known to each other.