MADISON, Ind. (Court TV) — The killer and aspiring rapper who tried to frame a victim’s boyfriend for murder pursued his music career after his conviction, prosecutors said at his sentencing.
Nigel Thomas (Jefferson County Prosecutor David Sutter)
Nigel Thomas, 34, was convicted of murder and obstruction of justice in the death of Wilma Robertson, 35, who was found dead in her home in April 2025. Jail phone calls recorded after his conviction captured Thomas asking his family to release a mixtape of his songs, including a track titled “Evil Soulmate,” that he had recorded about Wilma, Jefferson County Prosecutor David Sutter said.
Police were initially called to Robertson’s home on April 15, 2025, to conduct a welfare check on the victim, Law&Crime reported. When officers arrived, they found Robertson dead from multiple stab wounds to her back.
Investigators quickly arrested Shawn Bailey, Robertson’s boyfriend, after the victim’s relatives reported receiving messages from Bailey confessing to her killing. One of those messages included a video with the victim’s body on the ground with a Chris Brown song playing in the background.
But Bailey never sent those messages; prosecutors said Thomas sent them, creating multiple social media accounts in Bailey’s name in an attempt to frame him for Robertson’s killing. Ten days after his arrest, Bailey was released from custody after DNA analysis excluded him as a suspect.
“Your actions, Mr. Thomas, led to the arrest of a completely innocent man,” Judge D.J. Mote said during sentencing on Monday. “I can’t imagine what he went through psychologically, and you did that.”
At Thomas’ sentencing, Robertson’s family and friends remembered the victim as a mother, sister, cousin and best friend. “I want Wilma to be remembered as more than the way she died,” her sister said. “She was loved. She mattered. She had a family who needed her.” An online obituary remembered her as someone who would “often post videos on social media bringing encouragement and inspiration to those who followed her.”
Thomas spoke at his sentencing, telling the judge that he didn’t feel like a murderer or a monster. “I didn’t choose to throw my life away,” he said. “Wilma is now free.”
Wilma Robertson (Morgan & Nay Funeral Centre)
Mote disagreed with Thomas. “Your choices are why we are here; you sit here today and say, ‘I’ll never sing again. Think about me and what this has done to me,'” Mote said. “You chose to kill her. You chose this future you are looking at. Ms. Robertson didn’t choose this. Her children didn’t choose this.”
Mote sentenced Thomas to consecutive sentences totaling 65 years in prison, according to court records reviewed by Court TV.
“We appreciate Judge Mote’s careful consideration in imposing a sentence that reflects the seriousness of Thomas’s crimes,” Sutter said in a statement after the sentencing. “No sentence can undo the loss of Wilma or the lasting impact of her death on those who loved her. We hope the end of this case marks the beginning of healing for her family, as the focus shifts away from Thomas and toward remembering Wilma’s life and honoring her memory.”
