Three people are in custody and facing charges of murder in connection to the 2021 death of 33-year-old Jacob Nevin of Oroville, according to a media release by the Butte County District Attorney.
In a preliminary hearing on December 13, 2022, the three defendants — Andrew Lockner (36), Lester Reed (44), and Shelby Beaulieu (a.k.a. Bankston, age 26) — prosecutors presented witness and evidence that resulted in the judge ruling that the three are to remain in custody until their trial.
The three are charged with murder, attempted robbery, and shooting at an occupied vehicle. Bealieu is additionally charged with solicitation of prostitution, and Lockner and Reed each are charged with a count of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, the DA’s Office said.
At the hearing, prosecutors reportedly presented text messages between Nevin and Beaulieu that showed Beaulieu agreeing to “engage in an act of prostitution” with Nevin in the early morning hours of June 29, 2021, and that Nevin had asked her to meet him at the gravel parking lot near the intersection of Myers and D Streets in Oroville.
Meanwhile, Lockner and Reed allegedly waited and, when Nevin arrived, approached his vehicle from different sides with the intent to rob him. At some point a shot was fired, striking Nevin in the torso.
After being shot, Nevin reportedly tried to flee in his vehicle and made it about nine blocks before losing consciousness and drifting off the road to the place where he was ultimately found. He had died of his wound by the time officers arrived.
All three defendants remain in custody in excess of $2 million bail, and face life in prison if convicted as charged.
