(Sumter County, FL) On Tuesday, June 16, 2026, 20-year-old Clarence Patterson III was sentenced by Judge Mary P. Hatcher to Life in prison. Patterson, who was 15 years old at the time of the offense, was charged with two counts of Premeditated First-Degree Murder with a Firearm for the 2021 deaths of two Sumter County teens, 17-year-old Isaiah Nelson and 16-year-old Prestin Nixon. He was sentenced to Life with a 25-year review on each count of murder, to be served consecutively, followed by 15 years on each subsequent charge, also to be served consecutively.

Back on June 4, 2025, Patterson entered an open plea to the Court before Judge Mary P. Hatcher midway through his trial after jurors heard the defendant’s recorded statement to law enforcement. Patterson was convicted of two counts of Murder in the First Degree with a Firearm, Discharging a Firearm in Public from a Vehicle, and Possession of a Firearm by a Delinquent.

“No doubt this case has had a resounding impact on our quaint and calm community here in Sumter County,” said Bill Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. “The tragic deaths of the two murdered teenagers are profoundly upsetting; however, it is particularly disconcerting that they were due to the actions of another adolescent. This aspect adds a troubling dimension to the complexity of a case of this magnitude.”

In the early morning hours of May 12, 2021, the communications center with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office received a call in reference to two unidentified male bodies lying on the side of the road. When deputies arrived, they spoke with the complainant, who indicated that while going about his normal garbage route, he had passed by the two bodies. The witness further stated he then exited the garbage truck to make sure everything was all right when he noticed blood on both individuals and called 9-1-1.

Both individuals, later identified as 17-year-old Isaiah Nelson and 16-year-old Prestin Nixon, were pronounced deceased on scene from apparent gunshot wounds. A neighborhood canvas was completed while Crime Scene Investigators collected evidence from the scene. A few hours later, officials responded to a call in reference to a vehicle parked behind a church with visible bullet holes, a shattered window, and blood inside. Detectives made contact with the vehicle owner, who advised that his grandson, Nelson, had used the vehicle the night prior.

When investigators spoke with Nelson’s brother, they learned that both victims were last seen in the vehicle in the company of the defendant, Clarence Patterson III, who was randomly shooting a firearm out the window of the vehicle that night. When Patterson was taken into custody for questioning, he confirmed to detectives that he was with both victims earlier that night but never admitted any involvement in their deaths. Patterson later changed his statement, admitting to shooting both victims, claiming self-defense.

Assistant State Attorneys Blake Shore and Donald McCathran ensured the successful prosecution of this case.

Published on 06/17/2026.