Attempted murder charge under consideration for Rochester teen

A Rochester teen arrested Tuesday after shooting his girlfriend has staved off a formal charge of attempted murder, at least for the time being.

"I'm not ruling it out," Fulton County Prosecutor Mike Marrs said in discussing the case against Timothy Woodcox, 18, of Rochester.

According to Marrs, Woodcox is to be formally charged with aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony, criminal recklessness, a Level 5 felony due to shooting a firearm in an inhabited dwelling, and pointing a loaded firearm at another person, a Level 6 felony.

"These are the charges that we feel fit based on all the evidence and facts that we have at this time, but that's subject to change," Marrs said, adding that investigation is still ongoing.

He noted a challenge in the case is that Woodcox's account of what took place does not align with that of his girlfriend, Jasmine R. Nelson, who remains in critical condition at Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis.

Emergency personnel were dispatched to her residence at 906 S. 900 East, Akron, shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday. Officers were first to arrive and were met by Jasmine's mother, Lisa Nelson, the property owner. She was reportedly in a hysterical state, advising that her daughter had been shot by Woodcox, who exited the home shortly after and was taken into custody without incident.

Jasmine was located inside, about 5 feet from the main entry doorway, with significant blood loss and an apparent gunshot wound near the front of her neck. A state trooper began rendering medical aid, as sheriff's deputies cleared the residence. Inside, they observed a bedroom to have a lot of blood on the floor and its bed, where a semi-automatic handgun was lying. An ArmaLite rifle also was found leaning against a wall. 

After clearing the residence, deputies retrieved medical supplies from their patrol vehicles to assist in treating Jasmine until Henry Township Fire Department and Parkview EMS arrived on scene.

Woodcox reportedly spoke briefly to a detective while Jasmine was being treated, claiming the firearm dropped onto the floor and discharged while he was removing it from his pocket. This account would later change when he was interviewed at the sheriff's office. Furthermore, the injury observed on Jasmine's neck did not appear to match the angle if the firearm discharged from ground level.

Lisa stated she did not hear the gunshot and was awoken by Woodcox shaking her in a panic. She said he told her that Jasmine had been shot and handed off a 911 call to her. She also said she had instructed him to bring Jasmine out to the kitchen area for when help arrived, accounting for a bloody drag mark from the bedroom.

She explained that the night was normal and there was no arguing or fighting. She said that she went to lie down in bed and Jasmine was eating at the table. 

During investigation, it was learned that Woodcox and Jasmine both had protective orders against the other. However, Lisa said there was never any violence between them, adding it was more about harassment. Additionally, Woodcox and Jasmine both claimed they wanted to get the orders dropped, but had not done so yet. 

In his initial arrest Sunday, Woodcox was charged with invasion of privacy due to his order still being active. 

When asked if she thought the shooting was an accident, Lisa said she did not think Woodcox would do it on purpose. Although, she added that she didn't know what happened, so she couldn't say for sure. 

Prior to being interviewed at the sheriff's office, Woodcox was taken to the jail to change his clothes. He had reportedly been covered in blood, which he had to wash from his hands and arms. 

In explaining what happened a second time, Woodcox claimed he was getting into bed and leaned back to take the gun out of his pocket. He added that he somehow pulled the trigger while slipping off the bed. 

When asked about his initial claim of dropping the gun, he said he didn't mean to say that and just agreed when an officer asked if it had dropped on the floor. 

Jasmine's brother, Ryan Hall, would later report that his sister had shared a different story of what happened while he was visiting her in the hospital. He explained that Jasmine told him and Lisa that Woodcox was messing around with the gun and pointed it at her head, near her temple. He then allegedly pulled it down and put it under her chin, at which point the gun went off. 

Jasmine would later confirm those statements to a detective while in intensive care, communicating with a whiteboard, head nods and hand motions.

She wrote that she was laughing about what Woodcox was doing, that he had done it before but wouldn't have shot her on purpose. 

In a follow-up interview to question Woodcox about differences in their stories, he denied pointing the gun at Jasmine. That interview concluded when he indicated that he should probably have a lawyer, after which he was placed into custody and booked without bond at the Fulton County Jail.