New Evidence in Hanover Murder Investigation Leads to Arrest of Ohio Man

Fabricated evidence to incriminate another man for the murder

On Monday, April 14, 2025, law enforcement responded to a residence on Hickory Drive in Hanover, Indiana in response to a welfare check. A deceased female was found inside the residence. A death investigation was initiated by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. The female was identified as Wilma Robertson, 35, of Hanover, Indiana.

Nigel Thomas, 34, of Oxford, Ohio, was charged with the murder of Robertson. Nigel Thomas was arrested on Friday, April 25, 2025, in Oxford and a hearing in the Jefferson Circuit Court will be scheduled once he is transported to Indiana. The investigation by law enforcement revealed that Nigel Thomas, who goes by the name “Nati Bang”, had stabbed Wilma Robertson in her home. Thomas then engaged in an elaborate plan to frame a man named Shawn Bailey for her death. Thomas fabricated evidence to incriminate Shawn Bailey, including the creation of multiple social media accounts in Bailey’s name. Thomas then used those accounts to send out messages to relatives of Robertson purporting to be Bailey admitting to the murder.

Shawn Bailey, 33, of Louisville, Kentucky, was previously arrested on April 15, 2025, for the murder of Robertson. Charges were dismissed against Bailey and he was released on Friday, April 25, 2025, based upon new evidence that included DNA analysis excluding him as a suspect. “The criminal justice system is ultimately a search for the truth. Multiple agencies across three states worked tirelessly in their pursuit of all investigative leads to uncover the crimes of Nigel Thomas and clear Shawn Bailey”, said Jefferson County Prosecutor David Sutter.

Expedited testing performed by the Indiana State Police Laboratory was crucial in this investigation. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Indiana State Police are being assisted in this investigation by the Town of Hanover Police Department, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office, Jefferson County 911/Central Dispatch, the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Louisville Metro Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Jeffersonville Police Department, the Oxford Ohio Police Department, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Under the law, criminal charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven g