Man who threw body into ditch after drug deal is sentenced

A suspect accused of killing a man and dumping the body in a ditch during an alleged drug deal in the Federal Way area in 2021 has been sentenced to prison.

On August 22, 27-year-old Robert Nelson III was sentenced to 15 years and four months in prison for first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, with 60 of those months being mandatory aggravation because a firearm was used in the crime.

Prosecutors say Nelson killed Uso Hale during a drug deal on Nov. 11, 2021, and then dumped his body in a ditch about five minutes away on Military Road, just off South 320th Street. The state originally charged Nelson with first-degree premeditated murder, but the jury found Nelson guilty of the less serious charge of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon. After the verdict was announced, Nelson's attorney filed a motion to appeal.

The maximum sentence was life imprisonment. The 183-month sentence imposed by Judge Elizabeth J. Berns was the minimum sentence. Nelson must remain in custody for 36 months after his 183-month sentence, as ordered by the court. Prior to this conviction, Nelson had no prior criminal record.

Testimony of the family

Before Judge Berns handed down the sentence, Hale's sister and two nieces spoke in court about the impact Hale's death has had on their lives. Hale's eldest daughter also spoke to The Mirror.

Hale's eldest daughter, 23-year-old Ulexus Hale, said when her father wasn't in prison, he always did his best to support her and her siblings. She said she couldn't justify what he did on the streets, but everything Uso Hale did was to help himself and his family.

“He was trying to pull himself together. When I started getting back in touch with my dad, my little sister was born and I saw that he was doing a lot better. One day I spent the night at his house and it was funny. I saw him trying to feel a lot better. I still knew that my dad was doing certain things that I didn't really want to know about, but I knew about it,” Ulexus Hale said. “I can't justify it, but things happen. And I know that what he did was something he didn't want to do before that incident and I don't think he did it intentionally. My dad, as I know, is a very respectable person no matter what he does. So I don't know the whole story of the case, but I'm told that he went back and tried to justify what happened with the exchange before he was shot.”

Ulexus is referring to a drug deal detailed in the charging documents that allegedly took place the day before the murder. Nelson had not originally received his drugs after giving Uso Hale the money for the deal. But Nelson eventually received his drugs for the first deal, and the next day they were scheduled to meet for a second drug deal, and that is when the murder occurred, according to the charging documents.

Ulexus said she was not present at the trial and did not hear the details, but when she learned the verdict, she felt her father had received justice. Ulexus Hale said she believes her father would have wanted her to forgive Nelson.

“I think in the period of his life before he died, he was very forgiving. He wanted to move forward more, learn from his mistakes and be a great father. And I think he would have wanted us to be especially blessed that we are here to tell his story,” Ulexus Hale said. “Even though this happened to him and he did it, I don't think he would have wanted us to have even an ounce of hate in us. Hate was not my father's strong suit. He didn't want us to hate, he always wanted us to be good, to do good and just be the best, even if we didn't have the most.”

Details of the case

The state alleges Nelson killed Uso Hale by shooting him while inside Nelson's vehicle during a drug deal at the Federal Way-area Mobil gas station at 32003 Military Road South in Auburn on Nov. 11, 2021. The state alleges Nelson drove about five minutes from the gas station to a rural residential area after the shooting and then dumped Hale's body in a ditch, where Hale was found about 15 hours later by locals taking a walk.

Prosecutor Logan Bryant claimed during closing arguments in the trial that Nelson killed Hale for the pills. He said Nelson knew Hale would bring pills when they met and he wanted them, but had a different idea about how he was going to pay for them. Bryant said in his closing argument that phone records showed Nelson called from Nov. 10 to Nov. 11 looking for Hale because he wanted to find him, kill him and take his pills.

Nelson's attorney, Tim Lewis, argued the killing was in self-defense. He noted that the witness who brought Hale to the alleged drug deal — and who said he was like an uncle to Hale — testified that Hale showed him a gun and said, “I have that on me,” before getting into Nelson's vehicle. The witness said shortly afterward, several reports from two firearms were heard from the vehicle, where Nelson allegedly shot Hale 11 times, according to documents. In addition, Lewis said that every bullet found on Hale's body had a copper jacket; the one bullet that hit the gas station was silver, and a 9mm pistol containing silver bullets was found less than a mile from Hale's body.