Justice delivered for honor student shot dead through apartment door

Justice was delivered for an honor student who was shot and killed through her apartment door nearly ten years ago in Columbus. Destiny Nelson’s killer will spend the rest of his life in prison for the murder according to a press release from the District Attorney’s office.

Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Don Kelly announced the conviction this week of Travonne Washington for the murder of Destiny Nelson on January 16, 2017. Judge Bobby Peters sentenced Washington to life in prison on one count of Malice Murder.

Columbus Police Department Investigators responded to Bull Creek Apartments on the night of the shooting. They found 17-year-old Destiny Nelson, a high school honor student, deceased as the result of multiple gunshots.

During the investigation, detectives learned that the shooting may have been a “botched” revenge shooting following the January 5, 2017 death of Dominique Horton, a relative of Travonne Washington. Ballistic testing later linked evidence recovered at both scenes, and in 2021, a witness identified Washington and Keyonna James, 16 and 15 at the time of the shooting, as the shooters. They intended to target another individual they believed was involved in the January 5th shooting but went to the wrong apartment and shot through a closed door.

District Attorney Don Kelly said, “I want to recognize the continued efforts of the Columbus Police Department Major Crimes Division to solve this case. The investigators continued to work the case for years after the initial shooting to identify the shooters and achieve justice for Ms. Nelson. I also want to thank D.A. Investigator Jeff Carter and Assistant District Attorney Meghan Bowden who saw this case to a successful conclusion. This case is the perfect example of why it is such a bad idea for people to seek revenge. Destiny’s family and our community lost a very promising young person as the result of the actions of two teenagers.”