Jury Says Temecula Man Guilty of 2013 Murder

MURRIETA, CA- A Temecula man who gunned down his brother-in-law during a dispute over property that the two men shared was convicted today of first-degree murder.

A Murrieta jury found 66-year-old Nelson Virgil Allen guilty of the 2013 slaying of Donald Piper after deliberating just over two hours.

Along with the murder count, Allen was convicted of sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations. He’s expected to be sentenced to 50 years to life in prison on Jan. 12 by Riverside County Superior Court Judge John Monterosso.

According to prosecutors, Allen and his wife, Sylvia, half-sister of the victim, had been at odds with Piper for several years over use of the three- acre plot all of them occupied.

The property is situated within the Pechanga Indian Reservation, although it’s technically part of unincorporated Riverside County, according to Deputy District Attorney Jerry Pfohl.

“There had been an ongoing dispute ever since Sylvia and Donald’s mother passed away,” Pfhol told City News Service. “This longstanding family dispute just erupted on the day that Donald Piper was killed.”

According to the prosecutor, the Allen home was perched on a rise, ringed by three other homes -- one of which belonged to Piper, while another family member occupied the third home, and the fourth sat empty.

On the morning of July 27, 2013, Sylvia Allen went to the power pole feeding all of the dwellings and switched off Piper’s electricity, prompting him to confront her, Pfhol said.

In the ensuing heated exchange, the 42-year-old victim pulled out his mobile phone and threatened to call the Pechanga tribal police if his electricity wasn’t restored.

“Sylvia started slapping at Donald, and he tried to deflect her blows,” Pfhol said. “About 30 seconds later, Nelson Allen walked down there holding a double-barrel shotgun.”

According to the prosecutor, Allen gave his wife a moment to step aside and then opened fire with one of the barrels from the 6-gauge rifle, striking Piper in his right side and knocking him to the ground.

“That shot wasn’t fatal,” Pfhol said. “Allen proceeded to get closer to the victim and fired a second shot, striking Mr. Piper’s left side, causing severe internal damage and killing him on the spot.”

During trial testimony, the defendant admitted that he fired the second time because Piper was “still alive.”

Allen has no prior convictions. He’s being held at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta.

• SEE ALSO: Temecula Man Accused of Killing Brother-in-Law Enters Plea

–By City News Service.