Colorado man cleared in two murder investigations now jailed for alleged road rage killing
Daniel Nations, a 39-year-old Colorado Springs resident who previously was questioned in the deaths of three people but never charged, was recently arrested after police say he ran over another driver during a road rage encounter.
Nations allegedly hit 35-year-old Jacob Martinez after Martinez got out of his vehicle to confront Nations, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department. Nations fled the scene in his vehicle, per CSPD.
The incident happened at 11:25 a.m. on July 24 near the intersection of North Union Boulevard and Hillcrest Avenue. That location is about a block from Nations' residence, according to online public records.
Martinez was transported from the scene to a local hospital in critical condition, according to CSPD.
Meanwhile, Nations was arrested and charged with felony assault. Nearby, detectives also found the vehicle used in the alleged crime.
When Martinez passed away three days later, Nations was charged with murder while still in jail on the assault charge.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office confirmed last week that this is the same Daniel Nations investigated by its detectives in 2017. That year, Nations was arrested for threatening hikers with a hatchet near Mount Herman trail in the Palmer Lake area. Detectives also questioned Nations about the shooting death of cyclist Timothy Watkins that happened that same month on Mount Herman.
While in custody, detectives from Delphi, Indiana, flew to Colorado Springs and questioned Nations about the deaths of two teenage girls, which occurred months earlier. Nations lived in Delphi, and near the girls' home, at the time of their murders. A former employer in Indiana told CBS Colorado during the murder investigation that Nations had threatened her, too, with a hatchet while he worked there.
But five months later, Indiana authorities declared Nations was no longer a "major concern" in their investigation.
A local man in Indiana was arrested in 2022 for murder and convicted last year. He was sentenced to 130 years in prison.
Meanwhile, Nations pleaded guilty to reduced charges in the hatchet incident. He served a short time in jail and was sentenced to three years of probation.
The cyclist's murder remains unsolved.
Nations is being held in the El Paso County jail. The judge in his case is not allowing any bond for Nations' release. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 8.