Man gets life in prison in death of waitress ex-girlfriend at Bob Evans: Ohio officials

Richard Nelson, an Ohio man accused of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend at the Canton restaurant where she worked, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday, officials said.

Rebecca Jean Rogers, 38, was shot multiple times inside a Bob Evans restaurant on April 16, McClatchy News previously reported.

On Friday, Nelson, 55, was convicted of aggravated murder and his sentencing was passed down Monday afternoon, outlets reported.

His life sentence comes without the possibility of parole, according to WOIO.

According to Canton police, Rogers ran for her life when Nelson entered the restaurant around 9:30 a.m. and began firing, McClatchy reported. Customers dashed for cover and hid under tables as shots rang out.

“We can’t get out. We’re scared,” an employee said in a call to 911, later adding “we’re worried about our other employee. She ran into the back.”

Police arrived at the Bob Evans within minutes, McClatchy reported. They found Rogers in a back room. She had been shot several times and Nelson was gone, having escaped through a rear exit door.

Rogers was taken to a hospital but she died from her wounds.

Police said there was a history of domestic abuse and violence between Nelson and Rogers, McClatchy reported.

This story was originally published October 25, 2021 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Man gets life in prison in death of waitress ex-girlfriend at Bob Evans: Ohio officials."