BONDURANT – Local 5 has uncovered new information surrounding the night a Bondurant man allegedly murdered his family in April.
Updated Story:
Mark, Charla and Tawni Nicholson were found dead inside their Bondurant home in April. Their son, Chase Nicholson, was arrested for their murders.
Local 5 has obtained the dispatch calls from that night. The calls were made right after police say the Nicholson family was killed inside their own home. The recordings reveal Chase Nicholson allegedly went to his friend’s house after the shooting, where Nicholson told him about the murders.
Here is a snippet of the call, made in early April 2017: “I am sending a welfare check and to keep your eye out of a Grey 2002 Volkswagon Passat. We received a call from a male subject regarding a friend of his at 9000 NE 88th Street, that claims he killed his whole family with a shotgun.”
For the first time, Nicholson’s friend who was mentioned in the dispatch call has been identified. Local 5 tried speaking to that friend and his family, but they declined to comment. That friend lives more than 20 minutes away from the Nicholson home.
According to court documents, prosecutors believe there is a chance Chase Nicholson may have bought ammunition at the Wal-Mart in Altoona, although it is unclear if that was before or after the shooting. The court records also show other items of discovery, which were requested by the defense, so they know what could be brought up during the trial.
Chase Nicholson made a court appearance last week at the Polk County Courthouse, showing little emotion before the judge. It was decided both sides needed more time to do pre-trial work on the case. Nicholson’s trial has been pushed back to December.
Original Story:
According to new documents, Chase Nicholson made trips to two different Wal-Marts in the metro area the day he allegedly murdered his mother, father, and sister. He purchased gun ammunition at the Altoona store.
Local 5 has also discovered that after Nicholson allegedly shot his family, he went over to a friend’s home and told him about the murders. That friend made a call to the police, and that’s what spurred police to check on the Nicholson’s home. Local 5 has a recording of the dispatch call from that night.
Nicholson faces three first-degree murder charges. He was in court last week. He’s scheduled to have his trial in December.
