A former neighbor of the couple accused of murdering their six young kids in a murder-suicide said the Oklahoma dad was noticeably controlling.
Shawn Kucera said in an interview with KOKI-TV that he used to live across the street from the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma home of Brian Nelson and Brittney Nelson where they killed their family.
Kucera said that when the news broke of the murder-suicide on Hickory Avenue last week, his thoughts immediately went to one particular neighbor who lived across the street from him. While he said that the Nelson family mostly kept to themselves, there were a handful of interactions that he had with Brian that stuck out to him.
Brian had gun on his hip all the time
Kucera told the outlet that as he was crossing the street, Brian's wife basically retreated to the other side of the yard behind the car. She eventually made her way into the house, like she did not want to engage in a conversation. According to Kucera, that to him felt like she had been conditioned by her husband to not interact with people.
Kucera said that as he got to know the family a little bit, Brian just seemed really controlling. He added that when he'd run into Brian, the dad always had a gun on him. He said that what was really unusual was that the man of the house wore a gun all the time.
Kucera said that he had a pistol on his hip all the time, even when he was playing basketball with his kids or just walking around. He said that every time he saw Brian, he had his gun with him.
Kucera said he questioned Brian one time on why he always carried a gun. His response was that you just don't know when stuff is going to go down. Authorities said that Brian and Brittney killed their children before taking their own lives.
Danny and Marilyn Nelson, who are Brian's parents, confirmed to Tulsa World that their grandchildren, 13-year-old Brian II; nine-year-old Brantley; seven-year-old Vegeta; five-year-old Ragnar; two-year-old Kurgan; and 1-year-old Britannica were the victims in the murder-suicide.
Financial troubles may have contributed to the murder-suicide
According to Danny, the family had financial troubles. He also said that Brian had sustained a workplace head injury which may have been a factor in the violence that happened.
The couple reportedly filed for bankruptcy back in December 2020. According to records that were obtained by the paper, they listed nearly $9,000 in assets, including nine guns, and $138,000 in liabilities.
The pair was unemployed at the time of the filing and they were receiving financial assistance from the government. Danny said he thinks the stress was what got to them.
Firefighters found the lifeless bodies of the Nelson kids in the rear of the home after responding to last week's blaze. Brian and Brittney were then found dead in the front, according to People Magazine.
