A Davidson County grand jury has indicted 21-year-old Nicolai Hubbeling on charges of first-degree premeditated murder and abuse of a corpse in the killing of 43-year-old Kelton King, a Nashville man whose body was pulled from the Cumberland River on May 22, 2025. Investigators say King suffered 39 stab wounds, and the indictment caps a yearlong investigation that relied on surveillance footage, forensic testing, and help from law enforcement outside Tennessee.
According to a press release from the Metro Nashville Police Department, Homicide Unit Detective Kyle Eicholtz led the case, working with the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to present evidence to the grand jury. Police say detectives pulled together surveillance, blood-test results, and items seized in multiple searches that they argue connect Hubbeling to King’s killing.
What police say the evidence shows
According to WSMV, surveillance footage allegedly shows Hubbeling walking up to King as he sat on a downtown park bench on May 17, 2025, then persuading him to get into a Lexus. That is the last recorded sighting of King alive, reporters note.
NewsChannel 5 reports that searches of the Lexus and Hubbeling’s home turned up knives and what investigators have described as strangulation devices, and that forensic testing matched King’s blood to the SUV. The outlet also notes that investigators say Hubbeling’s phone contained videos of him stalking people experiencing homelessness, which detectives have flagged as potential evidence.
Arrest in North Carolina and extradition
Authorities say Hubbeling was taken into custody on May 29, 2025, in a coordinated vehicle takedown near his Old Hickory residence. The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office has reported that he is being held without bond while extradition moves forward. According to Wilson County Source, Hubbeling is currently jailed in Bladen County, North Carolina, on a separate homicide charge tied to the 2024 disappearance of an 81-year-old man.
What the charges carry
Hubbeling faces a count of first-degree premeditated murder, which under Tennessee law is defined as a premeditated and intentional killing and carries potential penalties up to life in prison or death, along with an additional charge of abuse of a corpse. State law says premeditation can be inferred from actions such as obtaining a weapon, the cruelty of the attack or efforts to cover up the crime, language reflected in the statute as reproduced on Law of Self Defense.
Metro police have also shared the department’s release and images on Facebook via the Metro Nashville Police Department page, where investigators outline the evidence and say arrangements are underway with North Carolina authorities to bring Hubbeling back to Nashville. Prosecutors are expected to set formal court dates after extradition. An indictment is an accusation, not a conviction, and Hubbeling remains presumed innocent while the case moves through the legal system.
