Daniel Nations, a 39-year-old man from Colorado Springs, has been arrested in connection with a fatal road rage incident, but his name has surfaced in multiple high-profile murder investigations, including the infamous 2017 double murder in Delphi, Indiana.
Nations is accused of running over 35-year-old Jacob Martinez during a road rage altercation on July 24, 2025. Police responded to calls about a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle, which fled the scene. After an investigation, Nations was identified as the driver.
Martinez was critically injured and hospitalized but succumbed to his injuries on July 27. Nations’ charges were initially filed as assault in the first degree, but they were upgraded to first-degree murder after Martinez’s death.
A History of Violent Incidents and Previous Murder Investigations
This is not the first time Daniel Nations has been involved in serious criminal investigations. According to local CBS affiliate KCNC, Nations was previously investigated in connection with the 2017 murder of Timothy Watkins, a 60-year-old cyclist found dead in a shallow grave off a popular biking trail in Colorado.
Authorities investigated Nations after Watkins’ death was ruled a homicide, but no charges were ever filed, and the case has since gone cold.
During this period, Nations gained notoriety for making threatening comments to hikers near the same trail where Watkins was found. In 2017, he was charged with menacing and weapons offenses after allegedly threatening two hikers with a hatchet.
He pleaded guilty to these charges and was sentenced to a short jail term followed by three years of probation. This earned him the nickname “Hatchet Man” due to his actions in the area.
Links to the Delphi Murders
Nations’ name was also briefly associated with the unsolved February 2017 murders of 13-year-old Liberty German and 14-year-old Abby Williams in Delphi, Indiana. He lived in the area at the time, and the proximity of his residence to where the girls’ bodies were discovered led to speculation about his involvement.
However, Nations was eventually cleared as a suspect in the double murder case, and authorities have not indicated any direct connection to the crime.
Ongoing Investigation and Court Proceedings
Nations, now facing first-degree murder charges for the road rage killing of Jacob Martinez, is currently being held without bail at the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center. The investigation into his role in Martinez’s death continues, and his next court date is scheduled for October 8, 2025.
While Nations’ name has come up in various murder investigations, including the notorious Delphi case, he has not faced charges in those previous incidents. The focus now shifts to the road rage killing, with authorities working to build their case against him.
As the legal process unfolds, the connection between Nations and previous unsolved cases continues to add layers of intrigue to his criminal history.
