A Wildwood man who gunned down two teenagers when he was just 15 years old has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Clarence Patterson III, 20, was sentenced Tuesday by Judge Mary Hatcher to life in prison for the 2021 premeditated first-degree murders of 17-year-old Isaiah Alexander Nelson and 16-year-old Prestin Wayne Nixon.
Judge Hatcher handed down consecutive life sentences with a 25-year review for each murder charge, followed by two consecutive 15-year sentences for discharging a firearm in public from a vehicle and possession of a firearm by a delinquent.
The tragic violence cut short the lives of two local teens: Nelson, described as a hard-working young man who regularly covered double shifts at Zaxby’s, and Nixon, remembered as a thoughtful teen with a passion for video games.
The sentencing brings closure to a years-long legal saga. On June 4, 2025, Patterson abruptly entered an open plea to the court midway through his trial, right after jurors heard a damning recorded statement he had given to law enforcement.
The grim case began to unfold in the early morning hours of May 12, 2021. A sanitation worker on his normal garbage route spotted two bodies lying on the side of County Road 219 in Wildwood. He exited his truck to check on them, saw the blood, and immediately dialed 911 at about 5 a.m.
Both teens were pronounced dead at the scene from apparent gunshot wounds. Hours later, investigators located a vehicle parked behind a local church. The car—which belonged to Nelson’s grandfather—was riddled with bullet holes, had a shattered window, and was stained with blood inside.
Detectives soon learned from Nelson’s brother that the victims were last seen in that vehicle with Patterson, who had been randomly firing a gun out the window earlier that night. When taken into custody for questioning in June 2021, Patterson initially denied any involvement in the teens’ deaths. He later changed his story, admitting he shot both victims but claiming it was in self-defense.
Assistant State Attorneys Blake Shore and Donald McCathran prosecuted the case, securing convictions that left a heavy emotional mark on the region.
“No doubt this case has had a resounding impact on our quaint and calm community here in Sumter County,” said Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson. “The tragic deaths of the two murdered teenagers are profoundly upsetting; however, it is particularly disconcerting that they were due to the actions of another adolescent. This aspect adds a troubling dimension to the complexity of a case of this magnitude.”