Candace Pickens, 23, was a great mother to her 3 year old son, Zachaeus. Her Aunt, Irene Jenny Pickens, told The Washington Post: “When she found out she was pregnant, she was scared at first." “But once she had that baby, it was so natural for her. “She loved being a mother. And no matter what she was going through, I think he was the one thing that kept her going.” Unknown to her family members, Candace Pickens was in a volatile and abusive relationship with Nathaniel Dixon, her boyfriend, a secret she managed to keep hidden from some a lot of people who knew her in Asheville, N.C., where she lived. Her boyfriend, Nathaniel Elijah Dixon, had a violent history that included attempted robbery and allegations of domestic violence against another woman with whom he had a child, according to the Citizen-Times. In addition to Dixon’s extensive criminal history, police think he has possible ties to a Los Angeles street gang.
