Arizona woman pleads guilty to fatally stabbing 96-year-old roommate

PHOENIX — An Arizona woman pleaded guilty last week in a fatal stabbing case involving her 96-year-old roommate, authorities said.

Bridget Marie Nelson, 60, of Cordes Lakes, Arizona pleaded guilty on April 30 to premeditated first-degree murder, aggravated domestic violence, theft, possession of drug paraphernalia and aggravated assault, according to the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office.

Nelson faces a maximum penalty of life in prison plus 55 more years. Sentencing is scheduled for June 30.

Why was the Arizona woman charged in the fatal stabbing case?

Police responded to a home in Cordes Lakes to check on the welfare of a 96-year-old man on Feb. 17, 2024. Upon arrival, they found Nelson, who claimed the man had traveled to Las Vegas several days prior, according to police.

After finding inconsistencies in Nelson’s story, officers found the man with 30 stab wounds inside the home, police said. Nelson later confessed to police that she stabbed the man on February 15 before taking some of his property.

“This plea agreement follows an extremely thorough and all-around excellent investigation by the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office into the savage murder of an elderly man,” Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane said in a Friday news release.

“This plea ensures Ms. Nelson will spend the rest of her life in prison. My office will always vigorously prosecute crimes committed in this county. I have directed my prosecutors to seek lengthy prison sentences for violent criminals so that the citizens of Yavapai County will continue to have a safe community in which to raise their families and live their lives.”

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