A jury in Jefferson County, Indiana has convicted an aspiring rapper from Oxford, Ohio in the 2025 stabbing death of Wilma Robertson, a case that unraveled only after investigators discovered the man had built fake social media accounts to frame her ex-boyfriend for the killing. Nigel Thomas, who performs under the name Nati Bang, represented himself at trial, where a jury heard testimony from more than 20 witnesses before returning guilty verdicts on both murder and obstruction of justice counts.
Jefferson County Prosecutor David Sutter announced the verdicts, saying the jury returned guilty findings on both counts, according to FOX19. The 35-year-old Robertson died in April 2025 in Hanover, Indiana, and authorities believe she was killed on April 11 or 12 at her home, with her body discovered on April 14, according to NBC News. She was found after coworkers called police when she failed to show up for her shift, and coworkers and neighbors who went to her home saw her lying on the floor through a window before Hanover police determined she was dead.
An Autopsy and a Homicide Ruling
Robertson's autopsy revealed a stab wound 6 1/2 inches deep in her back, and her death was ruled a homicide. NBC News reported that an affidavit described two stab wounds to her back, though accounts differ on the exact date investigators confirmed her death — FOX19's original report cited an April 14 welfare check, while Law&Crime's account of the case referenced an April 15 welfare check.
Shawn Bailey, who had been in a relationship with Robertson, became the first person arrested in the case. Police arrested him in Louisville, Kentucky, after an account under his name sent a video showing Robertson's dead body while music played — a five-second clip sent via Facebook with Chris Brown's song “Stutter” playing in the background, per NBC News. Robertson's cousin also received messages from accounts claiming to be Bailey.
Digital Trail Clears the Wrong Man
Digital evidence eventually showed Bailey's phone was nowhere near the killing location, and DNA evidence excluded him as a suspect. People reported that a subsequent DNA analysis excluded Bailey, then 33, of Louisville, and he was released with the charges dropped. Investigators found the Facebook account claiming to be Bailey was traceable to Oxford, Ohio, and further tracing led police to Thomas himself, according to Local 12, which reported that Thomas created Facebook and Instagram accounts in Bailey's name.
DNA evidence collected from the handle of a bloody knife at the crime scene tied the weapon to Thomas, showing a moderate match, while excluding Bailey entirely, NBC News reported. Indiana State Police also found that Thomas had sent hundreds of unanswered messages to Robertson, who had blocked him on several accounts. Thomas wrote songs about Robertson, including one titled “Evil Soulmate” and a love song called “A Girl Named Wilma” that NBC News noted remains online.
Shifting Accounts and a Self-Defense Claim
According to prosecutors, Thomas told detectives various versions of how the stabbing happened, at one point claiming Robertson wanted him to kill her and that he could speak with her telepathically. He also claimed he acted in self-defense. Thomas, 36, was charged in May 2025 with one count of felony murder and one count of obstruction of justice, per NBC News.
Sutter said 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. Thomas was ultimately convicted for Wilma Robertson's murder and for creating social media accounts to frame another person, according to Jefferson County prosecutors. He is expected to be sentenced on October 26 in Jefferson Circuit Court.
