On July 24, 2025, Daniel Nations, a 39-year-old man from Colorado Springs, was arrested in connection with the death of 35-year-old Jacob Martinez. The incident began as a road rage altercation and escalated when Nations allegedly ran over Martinez, who was a pedestrian at the time.
The attack took place at 11:25 a.m. when officers responded to reports of a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle. The vehicle involved in the incident fled the scene, but police later identified Nations as the driver.
Martinez was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. However, he succumbed to his injuries on July 27, prompting the authorities to upgrade Nations’ charges from assault to first-degree murder.
Nations was arrested, and the case drew significant attention due to his previous criminal history and the chilling connections to other unsolved cases.
Previous Investigations and Connections to Cold Cases
Nations’ name has surfaced in multiple investigations over the years, including a notable involvement in a 2017 case in which a 60-year-old cyclist named Timothy Watkins was found dead.
Watkins’ body was discovered in a shallow grave along a popular biking trail in Colorado Springs, and the case was ruled a homicide. Nations was questioned in connection with Watkins’ death but was never charged.
To make matters more unsettling, Nations had been implicated in a separate incident around the same time. He was reported to have threatened hikers with a hatchet near the same trail where Watkins was found, earning him the infamous moniker “Hatchet Man.”
Nations ultimately pleaded guilty to menacing and weapons charges related to the hatchet incident. He served a short jail sentence and three years of probation. However, Watkins’ case remains unsolved, adding a layer of mystery to Nations’ background.
Connections to the Delphi Murders
Nations’ criminal past took another dark turn when his name was linked to the infamous 2017 double murder of 13-year-old Liberty German and 14-year-old Abby Williams in Delphi, Indiana.
Nations lived in the area around the same time the girls’ bodies were discovered, and he was questioned in connection with their deaths.
However, he was eventually cleared as a suspect in the case. Despite his clearance, the connection between Nations and these unsolved murders further raised suspicion about his involvement in violent crimes.
Current Arrest and Legal Proceedings
The Colorado Springs Police Department confirmed that Daniel Nations is the same person who had been investigated in the 2017 cases.
His arrest for the murder of Jacob Martinez has brought renewed attention to his troubling past. Nations is currently being held without bail at the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center. His next court appearance is scheduled for October 8, 2025.
The police investigation into the July road rage incident is ongoing, and residents are waiting to see how this case unfolds. Nations’ arrest has stirred up old questions about his involvement in other unsolved murders and left many wondering whether he has been linked to more crimes than previously known.
Daniel Nations’ arrest for the murder of Jacob Martinez sheds light on a man with a disturbing history of violence and criminal behavior. His prior involvement in other serious investigations, including the unsolved murder of Timothy Watkins and the Delphi double homicide, raises unsettling questions about the full extent of his criminal activities.
With his latest charge of first-degree murder, it is clear that Nations’ past actions are now catching up with him, and justice may finally be served for Martinez and others affected by his violent history.
