Cobb County District Attorney Flynn Broady announced in a public information release that a guilty plea was entered in the 2017 murder of Khristopher Dixon , 22, of Austell.
Corey Nelson of Atlanta pleaded guilty in the courtroom of Cobb County Chief Superior Court Judge Robert Leonard and was sentenced to life in prison.
The public information released described the incident leading to Nelson’s arrest as follows:
On the morning of October 14, 2017, Corey Nelson went to acquaintance Khristopher Dixon’s Austell residence armed with a gun. Unaware of Nelson’s motives, Dixon allowed Nelson into his residence and began walking upstairs to his bedroom. Within moments, Nelson shot Dixon execution style in the back of the head with a .380-caliber handgun. Roommates, who were home at the time of the shooting, said they did not hear any altercation or arguments preceding the gunfire. They said the shots rang out suddenly, Nelson came downstairs and then he went back upstairs, where he fired two more rounds into Dixon’s head. A neighbor heard tires squealing as Nelson sped out of the neighborhood in a dark SUV prior to police arrival.
Cobb County Police Detectives quickly identified Corey Nelson as the shooter based on Instagram messages wherein Nelson messaged Dixon “I’m here” minutes before the murder. During the execution of a search warrant on Nelson’s Atlanta home, detectives located the murder weapon. Detectives also seized Nelson’s cell phone. Inside Nelson’s cell phone, detectives found a photo of the deceased victim that Nelson had taken immediately after executing him. Nelson had also written a note to himself that stated he was “starting a new life now.” Detectives were never able to determine the motive.
During the plea hearing on October 27, 2021, Dixon’s family wept as they described the pain of losing Khris at such a young age, robbing him of some of life’s most precious experiences.
“This was, by all definitions, a senseless killing. Khris Dixon was a good kid with a promising future ahead. He was extremely motivated and artistic, working hard to make his family proud,” Senior Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Green said.