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In 2021, the then 23-year-old Nistasha Tate was found guilty of murdering Jimmy Alan Pearson, a 63-year-old Milwaukie businessman who owned the A-1 Hawk pawn shop chain. Pearson, who built his fortune from the ground up, was a familiar name in the Portland area, where he lived in a sprawling $2 million mansion on the banks of the Willamette River.
Jimmy Pearson was a generous man who doted on his grandchildren and relished trips to Las Vegas, jet skiing adventures, and cocktails with "extra lime," as per his obituary. But on March 1, 2021, Pearson's larger-than-life story ended in tragedy when he was shot in his own bedroom by Tate.
Jimmy's murder and Tate's conviction for the same are explored on Oxygen's true-crime docuseries, Snapped, season 35 episode 21, which premieres today, September 14, 2025.
Who is Nistasha Tate, and what did she do?
Jimmy Pearson was gunned down by Nistasha Tate, who had crossed paths with him a month before, the two keeping in touch since. On the night of March 1, 2021, she visited Pearson's home, and surveillance footage from Pearson's Ring home security system captured what happened next.
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According to The Oregonian, at 12:42 am, Tate entered the house carrying an empty red duffel bag. Just over two hours later, she emerged with the bag stuffed with items, along with a small container.
On a second trip, she was seen hauling a blue storage bin to her car. Investigators later noted she was wearing light-colored gloves she hadn't had on when she entered. At some point before 3 am, Tate shot Pearson in the back of the head. He collapsed face down on the floor and died.
According to the outlet, after leaving Pearson's home, Nistasha Tate was pulled over by Milwaukie police after Officer Eduardo Sanchez spotted a handgun on the passenger seat of her black Mercedes and asked to search the car.
Sanchez found that the weapon had three spent cartridges and three live rounds. Tate even admitted she had obtained the gun illegally. The police also found bags of jewelry and coins inside her car, items which were later traced directly back to Pearson. However, the officers then didn't know yet that their discovery was linked to a fresh homicide.
Nistasha Tate's arrest and sentencing
The Oregonian reported that Jimmy Pearson's body was only found two days later, when one of his employees went to check on him after he failed to show up at work. He was discovered shot in the back of his head and found collapsed on the floor face down. The house was ransacked. A Clackamas County medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.
As investigators pieced together the evidence, which included surveillance video, phone messages, and the items seized during the traffic stop, Tate quickly emerged as the prime suspect. She fled Oregon, traveling first to North Carolina and eventually to Florida, as per Clackamas County Sheriff records.
On April 12, 2021, a U.S. Marshals Service task force arrested her at a Greyhound bus station in Tampa as she prepared to board a bus. She was extradited to Clackamas County to face murder and robbery charges.
In September 2021, Nistasha Tate stood in Clackamas County Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to murder, as per records. Judge Jeffrey Jones sentenced her to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
The Pearson legal battle over Jimmy's estate
While Tate's case unfolded in court, there was a separate legal battle going on over Pearson's estimated $10 million estate. Months before his death, Pearson had cut his daughters out of his will and named two former federal prosecutors as his heirs. The unusual arrangement led to a court battle, as reported by The Chronicle.
Ultimately, the concerned parties reached a settlement with Pearson's daughters inheriting his pawn shops, and most of the remaining estate was placed in trust for his grandchildren. The two lawyers whom he had willed as his heirs received $75,000 each, the outlet reported.
Nistasha Tate's case is explored on Snapped tonight.
