ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) — Two men already in jail for murder have been charged with the killing of one of the suspect’s brothers after one of their phones was collected as evidence, revealing what the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office described as “chilling texts,” according to a Facebook post.
Nicholas Wells, 20, and Ellis Clark, Jr., 23, were already in jail, charged with the Nov. 7, 2021 murder of Marcus Atienza on Rawls Avenue in Pensacola, Fla. The ECSO said Clark was the owner of an SUV that was caught on security camera leaving the scene of where Andrew Howard IV, 24, would later be found dead in December 2020. Clark had just reported the vehicle stolen when deputies found the vehicle completely burned near the intersection of Ashland Avenue and Detroit Boulevard.
Surveillance video showed that Clark set his own vehicle on fire and lied to deputies about the incident, according to the ECSO. Clark was arrested and charged with arson and making a false report to law enforcement. Clark’s phone was taken and police were able to discover a text conversation between Wells and Clark just before the murder. The following texts were provided by the ECSO. Texts that have been paraphrased will be in italics.
Wells: hurry up and meet me I’m with him ion got my tool
Wells: hurry up one time hit
Clark: ight
Wells: sends address 8900 block of N. 9th Ave.
Clark: ight
Clark: tells Wells he has to get gas and it will be 15 minutes
Wells: can’t be 15 that’s too long
Wells: meet me at his house
Clark: otw now, leaving Lincoln park
Wells: you have to follow him the black Honda
Wells: hurry up man this **** like got to happen
Clark: keeps updating Wells of his location as he is driving towards Wells’ house
Wells: he fina drop me off at my house
Clark: delay and Wells says he can’t and continues to tell him to hurry
Wells: pull up to them Northwood apt. that I gave u the address
Clark: ight
Wells: that’s where he gone pull up to get out and go cause he try to act hard but he green he gone give, its a black Honda, it got like a dent on the side by u need to hurry up tho I’m almost done.
Clark: by myself
Wells: yea
Wells: wya
Clark: Creighton
Wells: you see em pullin
Wells: he dropping me off ima call u have me otp
Clark: he’s at 9th
Wells: that squirrel dead
Clark: ****
The two men were served with arrest warrants while sitting in jail waiting for trial on the Marcus Atienza murder case.