Faribault Man Charged in Death of Ohio Woman

Jason Nesbit, 39, appeared in Rice County District Court on Monday, regarding the death of 26-year-old Chelsea Martinez of Columbus, Ohio.

According to the complaint, Martinez traveled from Ohio to Faribault to meet Nesbit, whom she met online, to talk about suicide. She arrived on July 31. The two met at a local motel and arranged to meet again the following morning. They then the next morning, drove separately to Shager Park west of Faribault. They parked in the beach parking lot and walked across Highway 60 and continued walking about 10-15 minutes before reaching a wooded area that Nesbit knew about. He had brought a paracord and a knife along, according to the complaint. When they reached the area, Nesbit tied Martinez's hands and feet with the paracord and strangled her with another piece of paracord until she lost consciousness. According to the complaint, he then cut her throat with the knife and dragged her body to a culvert and covered it with dirt and he lost his glasses.

A Rice County deputy located Martinez's car while on patrol on Aug. 3. It was at Shager Park with the keys in it and driver's side windows down. The deputy then learned the car was connected to Martinez. The Sheriff's Office learned that the two had met online. They learned Nesbit was not home between 1PM and 6PM on Aug. 1. He stated he was fishing at Shager Park and lost his glasses.

He later admitted during questioning that he killed Martinez and led authorities to where he put her body. The glasses were also found in the area. Nesbit has been charged with second-degree murder. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Bail was set at $1 million.