A Wildwood man who gunned down two teenagers when he was just 15 years old has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Clarence Patterson III, 20, was sentenced Tuesday by Judge Mary Hatcher to life in prison for the 2021 premeditated first-degree murders of 17-year-old Isaiah Alexander Nelson and 16-year-old Prestin Wayne Nixon.
Judge Hatcher handed down consecutive life sentences with a 25-year review for each murder charge, followed by two consecutive 15-year sentences for discharging a firearm in public from a vehicle and possession of a firearm by a delinquent.
The tragic violence cut short the lives of two local teens: Nelson, described as a hard-working young man who regularly covered double shifts at Zaxby’s, and Nixon, remembered as a thoughtful teen with a passion for video games.
The sentencing brings closure to a years-long legal saga. On June 4, 2025, Patterson abruptly entered an open plea to the court midway through his trial, right after jurors heard a damning recorded statement he had given to law enforcement…