Scott Douglas Nordstrom was born on September 28, 1967. Public records and court transcripts provide limited detail about his upbringing, background, or psychological history before his deadly crime spree. However, what is known is that by the time he was 28 years old, Nordstrom was part of one of Arizona’s most horrific multi-victim homicides in decades. He had a troubled personal life, and while no known violent criminal record was publicized before 1996, his involvement in robbery escalated into full-blown execution-style murder.

During the crime spree, Nordstrom worked closely with Robert Glen Jones Jr., and his own brother David Nordstrom served as the getaway driver in the first robbery. Scott would later claim in court that he had been framed by his brother, though the evidence and eyewitness testimony, including from David himself, led to a strong case against him.

After his arrest, Nordstrom quickly became a recognizable name in Arizona's criminal justice system due to the sheer brutality and number of killings committed in such a short time span. His courtroom demeanor and defense strategy did little to sway the outcome.

Scott Nordstrom’s killing spree began on May 30, 1996, when he and Robert Jones Jr. stormed a smoke shop in Tucson, Arizona. Nordstrom’s brother, David Nordstrom, drove the getaway car and kept watch. Inside the store, the two gunmen ambushed a customer, Clarence “Chip” Odell III, and Jones executed him with a shot to the back of the head. They then held four store employees at gunpoint and demanded money from the register. After receiving the cash, both Jones and Nordstrom opened fire. Thomas Hardman was shot in the head by Nordstrom and died at the scene. Steve Vetter was seriously wounded, and Noel Engles survived unharmed. Mark Naiman managed to escape and call for help.

Just two weeks later, on June 13, 1996, the pair committed an even deadlier robbery at the Firefighters Union Hall in Tucson. Inside the bar were Carol Lynn Noel (bartender), Maribeth Munn, and a married couple, Arthur “Taco” Bell and Judy Bell. After robbing approximately $1,300 from the register, the killers ordered the victims to place their heads on the bar, and executed each one with a shot to the head. Carol Noel was sexually assaulted before being shot twice. The massacre shocked the Tucson community and left investigators scrambling for leads.

The case remained unsolved until August 1996, when Jones was arrested in Phoenix for the unrelated murder of Richard Roels, a retired newspaper executive. During that investigation, police tracked stolen credit card purchases to Jones and his accomplice, Stephen Coats, eventually linking Jones back to the Tucson killings.

But the breakthrough came when David Nordstrom, Scott’s own brother, came forward. In exchange for a reduced sentence, he testified that he had driven the getaway car and witnessed his brother and Jones murder the six Tucson victims. His testimony proved vital. Scott Nordstrom was arrested in January 1997 and charged with six counts of first-degree murder.

During the October 1997 trial, Scott Nordstrom claimed innocence and accused his brother of framing him. He presented an alibi that prosecutors later dismantled in court. On December 3, 1997, the jury found Nordstrom guilty on all six counts of first-degree murder.

On May 19, 1998, Judge Michael Cruikshank sentenced him to six death sentences, calling the crimes “barbarous, arrogant and ruthless in the extreme.” However, due to a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court ruling mandating that only juries could impose death sentences, Nordstrom’s original sentence was vacated.

In 2009, a new jury was convened for re-sentencing. On August 27, 2009, the jury sentenced Nordstrom to death twice for the murders of Thomas Hardman and Carol Noel, and on September 28, 2009, a judge formally issued the sentences. For the other four murders, he received four consecutive life sentences without parole.

Nordstrom filed numerous appeals over the years. He also sued prison officials for reading his legal mail, and won a federal ruling in 2017 protecting inmates’ confidential communication with lawyers. He also participated in a separate lawsuit that successfully challenged the conditions of solitary confinement on Arizona’s death row, leading to changes in housing policies for inmates like himself.

On December 20, 2023, his final appeal was rejected by U.S. Senior District Judge Raner Collins. As of 2025, Scott Nordstrom remains on death row at Florence State Prison, having spent nearly three decades awaiting execution for the cold-blooded killing of six innocent people.