Shelby Co. DA’s office adds another to Giglio List
by: Jessica Gertler
SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — WREG Investigators have found out the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office has added another law enforcement officer to its “Giglio list” of compromised witnesses.
The list is comprised of law enforcement officers who have been found to be untruthful or had other issues calling their credibility into question. Prosecutors use these lists to determine if officers are eligible to serve as witnesses.
Through the Tennessee Records Act, WREG Investigators found out a Shelby County Sheriff’s deputy had been added to the list after SCSO internal affairs opened a case in late July.
Sgt. Matthew Nelson’s decisions during a vehicle pursuit had been called into question.
According to the disciplinary action form, Nelson said he “observed Millington PD in pursuit of a stolen vehicle,” so he followed behind but “did not get involved in the pursuit.”
Nelson said Millington police later “disregarded the pursuit,” but he kept following. He stated the vehicle later “side-swiped” and “rammed” his car. He eventually gave up the chase when the car entered the city limits.
Internal investigators say the story didn’t add up when they saw other officers’ in-car video. They claim Nelson violated department policies like being unauthorized to even pursue the car since the “need for apprehension did not outweigh the level of danger created by this pursuit.”
They added since he’s a supervisor, he’s held to a “higher standard and is expected to lead by example.”
They say he also violated their truthfulness policy because he said he didn’t pursue the vehicle when he did. Documents state that he used “excessive speed,” went “through a red light” and entered “wrong lanes of traffic” all while telling dispatch he wasn’t in pursuit.
Nelson received a 30-day suspension and demotion.
The SCSO said in September, that Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner notified the district attorney’s office that he should be on their Giglio List of compromised witnesses based on the law’s requirement.
The DA’s office confirming Nelson was added soon after.
Other names on their list include the officers charged in connection to Tyre Nichols’ death.
“The Giglio List is a list of law enforcement personnel that we keep who if we are going to use as witnesses, then we feel the need to disclose to defense counsel that they had some sort of brush with untruthfulness in the past. Either they were disciplined for being untruthful or the court found them to be untruthful,” DA Steve Mulroy explained to us in the past.
According to Nelson’s employment file, he violated department policy one other time involving, again, a vehicle pursuit.
In 2021, deputies reportedly tried to pull over a car but received a “direct order from a lieutenant to disregard.” The order was reportedly repeated on dispatch, but internal investigators claim Nelson didn’t listen.
They say video footage shows Nelson “maneuvering his patrol car” and forcing “several civilian motorists to the shoulder of the roadway.” They stated he was told to stop three times, but followed the car to Tillman and Walnut Grove where he lost sight. He was suspended for three days without pay.
The DA’s office has said their list is fluid, which means names can be added or taken off as more information becomes available. Nelson is appealing his suspension and demotion.
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