Authorities announced yesterday the arrest of 47-year-old violent repeat offender Anthony Nelson for the murder of 21-year-old Jailene Holton. Police say that Anthony Nelson fired at least 15 times into the Philly Bar & Restaurant on Welsh Road in Northeast Philadelphia after being kicked out of the bar by the bouncer. Police say Nelson became aggressive and irate when he was unable to play pool at the bar due to a scheduled weekly pool league . About an hour after being removed from the bar, Anthony Nelson opened fire on the front of the business. Bullets ripped through the packed bar, hitting two people in the head. A man was struck but was not killed. Jailene Holton was struck in the head and was killed.
Police believe that Jailene was not targeted in anyway and that Nelson just fired into the bar out of anger for being removed an hour earlier. Authorities with the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested Nelson on Tuesday at an Atlantic City, New Jersey casino. He is now awaiting extradition back to Philadelphia.
This is not Anthony Nelson’s first violent offense. After multiple similar arrests in the 1990’s Nelson was arrested and eventually convicted on a slew of charges related to a robbery that inflicted serious bodily injury. He was sentenced to 5 to 10 years. It is unclear how long he served in confinement. PhillyCrimeUpdate.com obtained the court docket for that case. Check it out below.
