Couple accused of letting loved one die in squalid conditions sentenced to 1 year probation

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI – A couple accused of leaving a loved one to die in filthy conditions with nearly 50 dogs and cats was sentenced to a year of probation and banned from getting any more pets.

Washtenaw County Magistrate Court Judge Carol Kuhnke sentenced Karen Wibbeler-Nelson, 44, and Robert Nelson, 43, to one year of probation on Tuesday, June 11. Kuhnke also sentenced Wibbeler-Nelson to 50 hours of community service and 216 days in jail. with credit given for the full sentence.

Both were prohibited from owning other pets. The last of their charges, which initially included murder, was dismissed at sentencing.

On April 30, the couple pleaded no contest to one count each of cruelty to four to 10 animals.

Initially, the two men were charged with open murder, second-degree abuse of a vulnerable adult, fourth-degree child abuse and cruelty to 10 to 25 animals after authorities discovered the squalid conditions.

Learn more: 45 dogs and cats living in raw sewage and feces rescued from Washtenaw County home

Andrew Nelson, Robert Nelson's father, reportedly died of natural causes in August 2020 at the couple's home in the 7900 block of Crane Road in Pittsfield Township, police previously said. First responders on scene noted fecal matter spread throughout the home and raw sewage in the basement, police said.

The smell of sewage was present throughout the house, police said at the time. A total of 45 dogs and cats lived in the home, prompting an animal abuse investigation, police said.

Andrew Nelson had several infected bedsores on his body, according to testimony from Washtenaw County Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Jeffrey Jensen. One wound was infected to the bone and would have taken several days to form, he said.

Jensen, who performed Andrew Nelson's autopsy, called his death a homicide, citing signs of neglect and saying conditions at the home contributed to his death.

Prosecutors said the couple should have provided more medical care. The 76-year-old man allegedly refused treatment, according to Susan Longsworth, Wibbeler-Nelson's attorney based in Ann Arbor.

Charges of murder and second-degree assault were dismissed in September after the couple's respective lawyers argued the prosecution only suspected they caused the 76-year-old's death.

Learn more: Murder charge dismissed against couple accused of letting man die through negligence

“The government presents no evidence that (Wibbeler-Nelson) committed any criminal act to cause Andrew's death, and only asserts that she did not do something, which the evidence also shows that Andrew did refused to allow him to do so,” Longsworth wrote previously. in an email to MLive.

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