Man charged with murdering his girlfriend because she insisted on having an abortion

POLICE are investigating the horrific death of pregnant North Carolina woman Candace Pickens whose family believes she was murdered by her boyfriend because she refused to have an abortion.

 

Ms Pickens, 23, was a loving mother to her three-year-old son Zachaeus and was enduring an abusive relationship with her boyfriend, Nathaniel Elijah Dixon. When she discovered she was pregnant with Dixon’s child, friends and family said she was being pressured by him to have an abortion.

 

She refused to proceed with a termination and her family believes Dixon murdered her for it. On May 12, a jogger found Ms Pickens’ body in a park in Asheville, North Carolina with her young son beside her.

 

Police described the manner of her death like an execution because she had been shot in the head at point-blank range. Zachaeus also was severely injured, according to police and he is currently is in critical but stable condition at an area hospital.

 

It is unclear how far along in her pregnancy Ms Pickens was but her unborn baby also did not survive. Mr Dixon has an extensive and violent criminal history, including attempted robbery and alleged domestic violence against another woman.

 

Police said they arrested him in Columbus, Ohio last week and charged him with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and child abuse. He has also been charged with murdering an unborn child after the authorities said they rescued a 21-year-old female who he had held hostage before his arrest.

 

Vanessa Peterson, a friend of Ms Pickens, who set up a GoFundMe page for the family, accused Mr Dixon of murdering Candace because she refused to abort their baby. Police said they could not confirm whether that was a motive.

 

Irene Jenny Pickens, Candace’s aunt, added that she also believes Mr Dixon killed her niece because she was pregnant. She said she saw evidence of their abusive relationship on Facebook.

 

“He found out she was pregnant and he wanted her to abort the baby. She would never do that as it wasn’t an option for her and that’s what sparked the violence,” Irene added.

 

Local medical examiner said Zachaeus has a 50-50 chance of survival. He had emergency surgery soon after he was discovered in the park and he lost an eye.