Activist urges mercy for man convicted of killing pastor

The spiritual adviser of Steven Nelson—who was convicted of murdering Arlington Pastor Clint Dobson and is scheduled for execution—not only is pleading for mercy from the state, but also grace from some of those most deeply wounded by his actions.

“We don’t honor the memory of Clint Dobson by killing Steven Nelson,” said Jeff Hood, an anti-death penalty activist who grew up Southern Baptist and now is a priest in The Old Catholic Church.

Clint Dobson

Dobson was killed in March 2011 while serving as pastor of NorthPointe Baptist Church in Arlington, then a satellite mission of First Baptist Church in Arlington.

The 28-year-old minister earned his undergraduate degree from Baylor University and his Master of Divinity degree from Baylor’s Truett Theological Seminary, where he was named 2008 Preacher of the Year.

A Tarrant County jury sentenced Nelson to die after finding him guilty of killing Dobson. Nelson is slated to be executed by lethal injection Feb. 5, 2025.

Hood and Noa Dubois, Nelson’s fiancé, appeared at a Nov. 15 news conference across the street from First Baptist Church in Arlington to call on the courts to halt Nelson’s execution.

At the same time, Hood also urged the church to extend love to an enemy who still is “made in the image of God.”

Nelson was a victim of childhood abuse that left him “broken,” but he is not the “monster” some have labeled him, said Hood, who noted he has spoken to Nelson by phone “five or six times a week” the past few months.

Dubois, who plans to marry Nelson next month, said the person she has grown to know the past five years is a “gentle, caring man” who has moved beyond his troubled past to become a sensitive artist.

Insisting Nelson was not the only person involved in the crime at NorthPointe Baptist Church 13 years ago, Dubois is pleading for the courts to reexamine the case.

Pastor killed during violent robbery at church

Nelson participated in a robbery at NorthPointe Baptist Church on March 3, 2011. Dobson later was found in the church beaten, bound and smothered to death. Judy Elliott, ministry assistant at NorthPointe, was beaten and left for dead but survived her injuries.

Witnesses later saw Nelson driving a vehicle that matched the description of Elliott’s stolen car, and he used her credit card at a local shopping mall. He also sold Dobson’s stolen laptop for $150 on the day of the killing.

Steven Nelson

After his arrest, Nelson admitted to the robbery but claimed two other men involved in the crime killed Dobson. Physical evidence placed Nelson in proximity to Dobson and Elliott, and his fingerprints were found at the scene of the crime.

When a jury found Nelson guilty in October 2012, First Baptist Church and NorthPointe Baptist issued a joint statement in response to the verdict, stating in part: “This has been an unimaginably trying time for two families and two churches. Through God’s grace we have made it this far in what we know will be an ongoing legal process.”

The statement continued: “Most of all, we are grateful to God for holding us up every day since this occurred in March 2011. He will do so in the days to come. His love endures forever.”

In addition to pledging prayer for the Dobson and Elliott families, the churches also promised to “continue to pray for the people responsible for this terrible crime and their families.”

“We will pray that God will work a miracle of healing and peace and change in their lives. As people of faith, as Christians, that is what we must do,” the statement from the churches said.

Later, when the death sentence was handed down, the churches issued another statement: “We have all waited for this day. We have prayed for the people who are charged with the responsibility for the wheels of justice in our society. We have asked God for the truth to be known and for justice to be served. As the Bible teaches us, God has placed the civil authority in our midst so that innocent people can live in freedom without fear and so that guilty offenders can be appropriately punished.”

Stating the trial was conducted “with an incredible level of professionalism and integrity,” the churches concluded: “A jury comprised of members from our community has reached a verdict based on evidence presented in a court of law. We now can confidently say that justice has been served, and we will support the decision of this court.”

Hood: ‘Jesus didn’t kill’

However, Hood wants First Baptist Church in Arlington to extend “the extravagant grace of God” to the man convicted of Dobson’s murder.

“While the mortal heart might be incapable of forgiveness, with God all things are possible,” Hood wrote in an Oct. 31 letter to church leaders at First Baptist in Arlington.

The Baptist Standard contacted First Baptist in Arlington for a response. Church officials did not choose to comment publicly.

While Hood questions Nelson’s exact role at “one moment in time” in March 2011, he acknowledged Nelson was “part of a horrendous crime that deprived the world of an amazing person.”

Even so, he asserted, standing by while the state executes Nelson is not the answer for Christians.

As a spiritual adviser to Death Row inmates, Hood has been present in the death chamber for eight executions in four states.

Insisting, “Jesus didn’t kill,” he challenged Arlington church leaders to join the campaign to stop Nelson’s execution.

“You can’t execute hope,” Hood said.