People who’ve lived in Rockford for many years will often say the most horrific crime that’s ever happened here was the brutal murder of the six Nelson children — Jenny, 12; Simon Peter III, 10; Andrew, 8; Matthew, 7; Roseann, 6; and David, 3. Their father, Simon Peter Nelson, killed them with a knife and rubber mallet the morning of Jan. 7, 1978.
RRSTAR.COM FILE PHOTO
Simon Peter Nelson is pictured with his children and wife Ann in a family portrait taken shortly before the murders. Nelson killed his six children — Jenny, 12; Simon Peter III, 10; Andrew, 8; Matthew, 7; Roseann, 6; and David, 3 — with a knife and rubber mallet in January 1978 before driving from his family‘s home in Rockford to Milwaukee to beat his wife, who was seeking a divorce.
Nelson long has claimed that he “snapped” on the day of the murders, when his wife announced her intention to divorce him, and alleges that he can’t recall the killings because of amnesia. Nelson is up for parole in June. No member of the Prisoner Review Board has ever voted to release Nelson. You can sign a petition against or in support of Nelson’s parole here. You’ll also find a photo gallery and past stories
We first posted the petition online at 1:44 p.m. Since then, 226 of you have filed petitions to keep Nelson in prison. Our special report on the upcoming parole has garnered more than 6,300 page views so far.
We’re also collecting petitions on behalf of Michael Mayborne. The Winnebago County Sheriff’s deputy was killed by Theodore Bacino in 1974.
Already this year, Robert Henry Lower and Curtis Brownell were both denied parole for killing in the 1970s 15-year-old newspaper carrier Joey Didier and 17-year-old Louise Betts, respectively.
Simon Nelson should never be Released from prison. He is not worthy of sharing the air that I breathe. He has caused more heartache in my family than I could ever put in words. Please keep i him in prisonU>
Thankyou,
B
idget Riegsecker
I was 12 years old and a classmate of Jennifer Nelson. This has stayed with me and I have never forgotten the crime and the emotions I felt. It changed my life forever and on 01/07/78 my childhood came to a drastic end. It opened my eyes to the inhumanity of the adult world. The only comfort were my parents’ promises that Simon Peter Nelson would spend a lifetime in prison and never hurt anyone again. Letting him out of prison will bring back that fear again. Not just for me, but for numerous friends and acqaintances of the Nelson family.
The severity of his crime warrants a lifetime in prison. It’s said that the children were killed while they slept. If someone is stabbed and bludgeoned right next to you, or across the room, or in the next bedroom – you’re gonna hear it and wake up! Those poor children suffered, don’t kid yourself. Why didn’t they run away?? Because they were terrified!! He showed no mercy, whether he remembers it or not.
Not only did kill six children, he killed the idealism and innocence from an entire community of people whose lives were permanently altered.
I will never forget the terror and pain that those murders caused me both as a child and into adulthood as I don’t think I ever really dealt with the trauma of that event until recently…how do you deal with something like that when you are 7 years old? Matthew was a classmate of mine in the 2nd grade at Walker School. 30 years later and several states away those memories haunt me. I still have dreams about it . My family moved away from Rockford 9 months after the murders happened and I tried to move the memories from my mind as well but to no avail. I finally got to feel some sense of a goodbye and closure when I drove out to Rockford from PA this spring to visit their graves. Like Kaplan, childhood innocence came to a screeching halt that terrible day. The seriousness of his crimes absolutely warrants a lifetime in prison. As to his claims of remorse and religious conversion, I believe that is entirely possible and I sincerely hope it is true for the sake of his eternal soul; but the gravity of those crimes cannot be minimized and I believe to parole him would be exactly that. Thank you, those who care and remember the Nelson children. They will not be forgotten as long as we who remember them are alive.
there is no way I mould ever agree with the release of this coward. How can you do what he did? His oldest was 12. he raised that girl from birth then had five others. WTF?! If anything he should be caned in public on every anniversery of their death. He should be kept in seg. He does not desevre the privalage of starting over.
Simon and I were best friends in grade school. I have never forgotten him.
I remember going to my grandfathers grave with my grandmother when I was about 5, and all my life..I was born in 1975…In 1978 I was 3. When I was about 11 my grandmother and me were at Calvery Cematary on 20 where the children are buried, she said to me, I want to show something to you, we took a few steps passed my grandfathers grave WE WILL SAY RIGHT BEHIND THE GRAVE, and she showed me 6 graves…I said who are these people grandma? And she told me everything….sometimes me and grandma would put flowers on there. Now I am 36. In June of 2011 I wrote an article about them due to the fact he was up for parole again. I went there and gave each child a red rose and I spoke to them, I never knew who was who, I never knew who was the oldest, for some reason I felt a strong vibe toward Jennifers grave..When I went home I looked online and seen she was the oldest. Before I got there my camera was good top go, after I talked with them my camera would not take a picture! Funny how spirits know whats going on~ There there and you can feel them very strongly…
That father should never see freedom ever, his kids were cheated out of life, why should he have one,
i was ten when it happened living in the 1800 block of camp i can remember that day sat morning thing did change that day i remember thinking that your parents are supposed to kill you or something when they feel like it … what a mess the nelson kids were kinda uncontrolled if thats the right word but certianlly didnt deserve to get murdered. all i say to the do gooders that say let him free is you obviously werent touched by this crime and youll never understand .. the monster should have been put to death in 1978 untill he can bring back the lives he took and give them back the time they missed and uneffect the people he has effected ill stand with a stronge belief that from 1978 hes cheated and is still cheating all of us by puting time money and thought into this piece of garbage
I think I was around 13 years old when this crime happened. My childhood friend live a few doors away and had invited me and the Nelson girls to stay over night for a slumber party. The Dad said no and it was the night he killed his family. Without question it was such a horrible shock to everyone. This is something I will never forget. There is no question in my mind that Mr Nelson should live forever behind bars!!!!!
I was listening to the radio. The horrible news came on he radio that this man in Rockford had just KILLED his six kids the night before. The radio said he beat them to death while they were sleeping. I was shocked. I was around 9 years old. Then the song that came on the radio “I love you just the way you are” by Billy Joel. My whole percdeption of humanity and parents and adults in general changed forever. That bastard doesn’t deserve freedom and the crazy lady that married him is NUTS.