Emotionally disturbed man charged in ex-cop Nicholas Nelson’s fatal stabbing
An emotionally disturbed Staten Island man was charged with murder Thursday in the stabbing death of a fired NYPD detective, police said.
Eric Wilson, 26, a troubled local with seven prior arrests, allegedly got into a beef with victim Nicholas Nelson Wednesday night, with the argument escalating — and ending with the ex-cop’s murder, police said.
The fight started when Wilson allegedly tried to open Nelson’s car door while his son was inside, cops said.
Nelson, 37, then took his children back to their mom on Elizabeth Street in West Brighton — but Wilson followed and remained outside yelling for the ex-cop to come outside, according to cops.
Nelson did and was stabbed in the neck.
Wilson, who lives up the street, left after the encounter but was later taken in for questioning and ultimately charged with murder, assault and weapons possession around 11 a.m. Thursday, cops said.
It is unclear if the two men knew each other, but sources said they had no history of previous fights.
NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said Wilson is “described by neighbors as a troubled individual who’s always causing trouble on the block.”
Sources said Wilson’s previous scrapes with the law included an alleged Jan. 2 assault of a 53-year-old man on Clove Road on Staten Island.
He was also busted on Oct. 19 for allegedly robbing a man of two cellphones and leaving the victim unconscious, the sources said.
Both cases were pending when he had a confrontation with the former cop.
Nelson joined the NYPD in 2008 and rose to the rank of detective before his career was derailed due to several disturbing incidents, department records reveal.
He was docked 20 vacation days and agreed to go to counseling in 2012 after getting into a fight with a woman with whom he shared a child, the records show.
On March 16, 2019, Nelson allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and was brought up on disciplinary charges, ultimately getting suspended and demoted, the records show. It is unclear if the 2019 victim was the same woman involved in the 2012 altercation.
He was fired from the force in May 2021 after getting into an off-duty drunken-driving accident in August 2018, court records show.
