An aspiring rapper from Greater Cincinnati was convicted Tuesday in the murder of a 35-year-old Indiana woman and for creating social media accounts to frame another person, according to Jefferson County prosecutors.
Nigel Thomas, 36, of Oxford, Ohio, was found guilty of murder and obstruction of justice in connection with the April 2025 death of Wilma Robertson, of Hanover, Indiana, Jefferson County Prosecutor David Sutter said.
“I want to thank the members of this jury for dedicating their time and attention to this case. They listened carefully to more than 20 witnesses, examined the evidence presented, and paid close attention throughout the trial. Their role in our criminal justice system is extremely important, and we appreciate their commitment to this case. We are grateful that the jury returned guilty verdicts on both counts,” Sutter said in a statement.
The investigation began April 14, 2025, when Robertson’s coworkers called police after she did not show up for her shift. Coworkers and neighbors went to Robertson’s home, where they saw her lying on the floor through a window.
Hanover police responded to the scene and determined that Robertson was dead.
An autopsy revealed that Robertson had a 6 1/2 inch deep stab wound in her back, and her death was ruled a homicide.
Investigators began with a person named Shawn Bailey, whom they knew Robertson was in a relationship with.
They had received a video sent by an account under Bailey’s name showing Robertson’s dead body while music played. After finding implicating evidence, officers arrested Bailey in Louisville, Kentucky.
After Bailey’s arrest, Robertson’s cousin received more messages from accounts claiming to be Bailey, prompting a further investigation.
While in custody in Louisville, additional digital evidence showed that Bailey’s phone had not been near where Robertson was killed and that the Facebook account, claiming to be Shawn Bailey, was traceable to Oxford, Ohio.
Eventually, police traced the account back to Nigel Thomas, an aspiring rapper with the stage name “Nati Bang,” who had written songs about Robertson.
Indiana State Police extracted Thomas’s data and found he had sent hundreds of messages to Robertson that went unanswered, and that the woman had blocked Thomas on several accounts.
Further DNA evidence tied the knife used to kill Robertson to Thomas and excluded Bailey as a suspect.
“The criminal justice system is ultimately a search for the truth. 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,” Sutton said following Thomas’s arrest.
According to prosecutors, Thomas told detectives various versions of how the stabbing happened, also stating that Robertson wanted him to kill her, claiming he could speak with her telepathically.
Representing himself in court, Thomas claimed he acted in self-defense, pointing out a song he wrote about Robertson entitled “Evil Soulmate.”
Thomas is expected to be sentenced Oct. 26 in Jefferson Circuit Court.
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