Santa Ana man facing murder charge after driving a minivan into a woman and her boyfriend

ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRESS RELEASE

Case # 15NF2507

Date: September 15, 2015

MAN TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR MURDERING WOMAN BY INTENTIONALLY DRIVING INTO HER WITH MINIVAN AND INJURING HER BOYFRIEND

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man is scheduled to be arraigned today for murdering a woman by intentionally driving his minivan into her and also injuring her boyfriend. Nelson Ward, 60, Santa Ana, is charged with one felony count of murder and one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 28 years to life in state prison. Ward is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned today in Department CJ-1, Central Jail Santa Ana. The time is to be determined.

On Sept. 12, 2015, Ward is accused of meeting 32-year-old Jessica Lynn Brown Carvajal and her boyfriend 51-year-old Robert Shore in Buena Park. The defendant is accused of inviting Carvajal and her boyfriend into his van and spending the day driving around to various locations and drinking alcohol. At some point during the day, the defendant is accused of sleeping in the back of his van and giving John Doe permission to drive while Carvajal was sitting in the passenger seat.

Ward is accused of waking up and becoming angry with John Doe about driving the van. The defendant is accused of demanding the victims to get out of the vehicle. John Doe pulled into the driveway of a Buena Park Holiday Inn where he and Carvajal exited the minivan out onto a sidewalk.

The defendant is accused of getting in the driver’s side of the van and accelerating the vehicle over a divider and onto the sidewalk crushing Carvajal against a wall and also hitting John Doe. Carvajal died at the scene and John Doe suffered minor injuries from the crash. Ward is accused of fleeing from the scene on foot. The Buena Park Police Department (BPPD) located the defendant a short time later at a nearby hotel and arrested him. BPPD investigated this case.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Troy Pino of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.

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TONY RACKAUCKAS, District Attorney

Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff
Office: 714-347-8408
Cell: 714-292-2718