15 unsolved killings across Nebraska: Getting away with murder

"The evidence that has been presented to you in this case during the last week shows beyond a reasonable doubt that Jake Gonzalez … got angry and literally beat Hollen Siedschalg to death," Assistant Attorney General Bill Tangeman said.

The biggest thing the holdout juror kept throwing back at them, according to Juror No. 10: He didn’t trust the justice system. His family had been mistreated on both sides of criminal cases, as victims and defendants.

A police spokesman said "suspicious circumstances" led to the homicide unit being called to investigate. 

Authorities say Justyn Wagner, 19, jumped out of the car that evening and fired 10 shots at 18-year-old KorVanta Hill, killing him. Hill had been walking with his stepfather. 

A former Nebraska State trooper told jurors he thought he had justification to kill a motorist after he led the trooper and a colleague on a 50-minute chase that reached speeds of 110 mph.

Derrie Seeman and Bill Seeman were arrested at their home in Liberty, Nebraska, about 6 miles north of the Kansas border on Thursday morning.

Prosecutors say Marlon Miranda Jr. killed his estranged wife's boyfriend, Lincoln resident Jose Juarez, and slammed her head into a brick wall early in the morning of June 13, 2020.

The murder suspect is the son of Robert Wagner, who is the founder of the organization Project KNOSE, or Keeping North Omaha Safe for Everyone, an organization that works to deter violence. 

A judge sealed the affidavit for Derrie Seeman's arrest at the request of the prosecutor. 

A Douglas County district judge sentenced Jose Antonio Ramos to the equivalent of 3½ to 5 years in prison on charges that he was an accessory to one of his best friends' death.

"This was a heartless act," Jefferson County District Judge Vicky Johnson told Jake Gonzalez at his sentencing Thursday.

About two hours after the crash, the driver's preliminary breath test was .156 — nearly double the legal limit. 

Sarpy County Attorney Lee Polikov plans to file a "notice of aggravators" that will explain why he thinks Roberto Silva's alleged crimes merit the death penalty. 

The case began with a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children cyber tip indicating that a Facebook user had attempted to share a video of child pornography to another Facebook user, the prosecutor said.

A prosecutor said Monday that witnesses identified William Snoddy as being at the scene as well as a vehicle that he was in. Snoddy was charged with first-degree murder.

An Omaha man is accused of killing another man at an Old Market pub after the Omahan's girlfriend told him the other man had brushed up against her.

Prentis Reddick, 33, was accused of fatally shooting Loyal Brown after coming to the aid of Brown's girlfriend in November 2020.

If Roberto Silva Jr. is convicted, it will be up to a jury or three-judge panel to determine whether any of the aggravators are present. If so, a three-judge panel will decide if the death penalty is warranted.

Investigators found a bow and arrow and long knife in the house, according to the patrol. It's unclear if Andrew Stratton was armed with either weapon when he was shot. 

Mickey Sodoro, a longtime Omaha Realtor, was killed in December 2020 at the rental house he was showing. Amid the pristine, almost antiseptic environs, there were signs, small and large, that something grisly had taken place.

Officers recovered 88 living animals and 40 dead animals, including dogs and other animals. Some were severely neglected. 

A gun found in a vehicle used by an Omaha man was linked to five shell casings and a bullet that killed a 19-year-old woman in a July shooting, a prosecutor said. 

In a case that might go down as the most obvious trail of evidence left behind by a killer, a jury has found an Omaha man guilty of killing real estate agent Mickey Sodoro.

An Illinois man sexually assaulted and fatally stabbed a 32-year-old woman in Council Bluffs in 1982, Council Bluffs police announced Friday as they closed a cold case.

The woman's 3-year-old daughter told officials that “Mommy whooped” Jaylen, prosecutor Rachael Henderson said. The daughter also was found to have various injuries.

William T. Snoddy, 37, told police he shot at his friend, 46-year-old Daron Hunter, during the Jan. 27 altercation in Omaha. Monday, he was ordered to stand trial on murder and weapons charges.

The grand jury submitted a “no true bill” on each of the cases — 11 who died in a correctional facility, five who died in the presence or custody of Omaha police and one who died at the county detoxification center.

Shooting victim Tanner Farrell’s parents said that their son and Blake Miller have been best friends for years. “We are deeply saddened by the news that (the manslaughter charge has) been filed. We love Blake as one of our own."

A teen accused of sexually assaulting and fatally stabbing a 61-year-old Omaha woman now also faces a charge in a burglary that authorities say he committed in 2019.

Omahan Davelle Giles, 26, will stand trial on charges of second-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony, a Douglas County judge ruled.

Alfredo V. Dominguez III of Lincoln is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Randy Garcia-Ramos during the robbery. He is awaiting trial.

A Douglas County judge sentenced 19-year-old Jacobi Terry to 70 to 150 years in prison for a one-day crime spree in 2019 that killed one man and seriously injured another.

Douglas County District Judge Timothy Burns said the tragic events of that night show that guns and drugs don’t mix. “There’s no question you didn’t mean to kill (Latto) … but you’ll be forever responsible for his death.”

Police said the shooting occurred near a convenience store at 4219 N. 60th St. The slaying is the eighth homicide of the year in Omaha.

Prosecutors say Daquandre Perry may or may not have been the shooter in an Omaha homicide but is culpable because he was driving a car that pursued the victim.

His mother, Alicia Plater of Omaha, said her 22-year-old son had never been in trouble and was in the wrong place at the wrong time. "He literally was a free spirit who loved everyone unconditionally.”

The longtime boyfriend of an Omaha woman who is presumed dead after she disappeared the morning after Easter in 2018 has been sentenced to prison. 

More than 15 family members and friends of Omaha Realtor Mickey Sodoro filled two rows of a courtroom gallery and watched as Ross Lorello declined to address them or the judge. No apology. No regret.

The Broken Bow Police Department found Angie Miller dead at her house around 1:45 a.m. Friday, the State Patrol said. Her husband was found dead in a pasture a few hours later.

Capt. Kathy Belcastro-Gonzalez had been on paid administrative leave since Jan. 19 because of an internal affairs investigation regarding alleged violations that have not been disclosed. 

A Nebraska man who helped a woman kidnap her grandchildren in order to teach their mother a lesson was sentenced on a weapons charge to eight years in federal prison.

Judge Leigh Ann Retelsdorf told defendant Marshaun Box there was "overwhelming evidence" that indicated he helped plan the robberies that led to the death of one man and left another injured.

A 15-year-old Omaha boy has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the slaying of Timothy Washington III just over a year ago. 

Omaha police have reclassified a shooting that occurred almost nine years ago as a homicide after the recent death of a man who was shot on his front porch.

Larry Thompson was sitting on his porch when he was shot. He was taken to the hospital, where he died. Seven shell casings were found at the shooting scene.

A Bellevue man, 43, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of his wife earlier this year. 

An Omaha man who took part in a 2008 robbery spree in which two people were killed and a third was injured was resentenced Friday to 128 to 180 years in prison.

The assault allegedly took place at Bryan Middle school in Omaha, according to investigation reports.

The 21-year-old is suspected of first-degree murder, second-degree felony assault and two counts of use of a weapon to commit a felony in connection with a shooting that left one teen dead and another wounded, according to police.

The 16-year-olds were arrested in connection with the shooting death of Timothy Washington III. They were booked into the Douglas County Youth Center.

The Fremont Police Department says an officer shot a 34-year-old man who allegedly had fled from the Nebraska Department of Corrections and then entered a home with a knife.

A Papillion woman previously charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of her husband pleaded no contest.

A 45-year-old Omaha man was sentenced Tuesday to four years of probation after pleading no contest to attempted sexual assault of a woman at a Bellevue car wash.

A woman said in court testimony that her former Kearney psychiatrist put his hand down her pants from behind, felt her buttocks and groped her breast during a counseling session.

“Usually, abortions are performed in hospitals, and doctors are involved, and it’s not the type of stuff that occurred in this case.”

Dayton Wenz, a 2022 graduate of Omaha Central High School, was the victim.

Harlie Saathoff told the court she apologized. “I do take responsibility for how I acted that night,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

The prosecutor said in court that Dayton Wenz and Jordan Humphrey met up so Wenz could buy Xanax from Humphrey. Wenz reportedly grabbed the bag of Xanax and ran off.

Chris Walter said he thinks his son, Gage Walter, is responsible for the deaths. Gage Walter was arrested Sunday in Winterset, Iowa, after being pursued by West Des Moines police.

One person was fatally wounded by gunfire late Monday near 63rd and Jaynes streets, bringing the number of homicides in the city this month to six. 

A man in the apartment told police that Davon Brown shot Shalonna Houston in the forehead with a rifle, then asked him to help hide her body.

A woman said the suspect grabbed her by the ear, forced her into the car and headed back to North Platte.

After pleading no contest to a reduced theft charge in an embezzlement scheme, the founder and former manager of the Omaha Sports Academy was sentenced to probation.

Search warrants executed in Cedar County reveal new information regarding a quadruple homicide investigation in Laurel.

An Omaha nonprofit that aids trauma victims conducted an active-shooter drill without telling workers the gunman’s bullets weren’t real. The workers ended up traumatized.

The person who called 911 reported a small fire in the living room. Deputies found the woman on the floor with blood around her and a fatal stab wound.

Romeo Chambers, 25, is wanted in Kearney in connection with a homicide and in Omaha in connection with a robbery. Investigators have worked leads on this case in Omaha, Des Moines and Kansas City.

City of Omaha attorney says Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer had several valid reasons to not promote Capt. Kathy Belcastro-Gonzalez to deputy chief. Belcastro-Gonzalez says it was payback. 

As troopers and deputies worked to secure the scene and surrounding area, a marijuana grow operation was discovered on the property, according to the State Patrol.

A former Omaha police captain says she wrote to Mayor Stothert after believing that police officials hadn't properly investigated her harassment complaint. But sending that letter "ended my career."

A 20-year-old man who had been arrested in Arkansas in connection with the Aug. 12 slaying of a 22-year-old Omaha man escaped Sunday from a jail in Benton, Arkansas, but was later captured.

An Omaha detective said tracking apps and surveillance video led police to conclude an Omaha teen was part of a plan to shoot someone in or near a rival gang.

A 21-year-old man shot a teen in the back twice, killing him, after the teen attempted to steal a bag of marijuana in August, an Omaha police detective testified.

According to the indictment, the man and a friend were issued citations for a fishing and hunting violation near DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge. They were under investigation for poaching.

A 39-year-old man died Wednesday following a collision with a semitrailer truck in central Nebraska.

Construction crews discovered the body of a man on the side of a highway near Fremont, the Dodge County Sheriff's Office said Friday.

Nathan Rogers was arrested on suspicion of first-degree sexual assault of a child after a then-15-year-old student reported the abuse to police, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Three young children — the shooter's two children and the victim's son — were in the apartment when he killed another man.

Authorities went to the couple’s home after the suspect had called police. He told them that he had shot a woman in the home while a child was sleeping upstairs.

Police received a ShotSpotter alert of gunshots at 7:38 p.m. Monday. They found Anthony Hollingsworth Jr. behind 3827 Maple St.

Iowa authorities are investigating after a woman came forward claiming that her father killed and buried between 50 and 70 women on their property in Thurman, Iowa. 

A UNL release sent out to students stated the assault took place between midnight and 6 a.m., northwest of 12th and R streets.

Phillip M. Garcia was serving a sentence of 26 to 46 years for felony theft, use of a knife to commit a felony and assault on a law enforcement officer.

The man verbally threatened officers and refused to put his gun down, police said. When he made a quick movement "toward an officer who was behind cover," two officers fired.

Elle Stecher ended up giving birth, unassisted, in the front seat of her vehicle in the parking lot of the birth center at 80th and O streets, the lawsuit alleges.

Residents and community members reflected on a night that could have turned out much worse after a car drove around a barricade and the driver hit the gas. 

“It does bear some resemblance to ‘suicide by cop,’” Chief Todd Schmaderer said. The man made some statements to that effect, he said, that were recorded on police body cameras.

In a search warrant, a Nebraska State Patrol investigator asked a judge for an order to get DNA from Philip Garcia's former cellmate.

In a feeble attempt to break up the fight, authorities say, Wuanya Smith pulled one woman back by her hair. But then he pulled out a gun and fired five shots into the crowd that had formed around the fight.

An Omaha man, notorious in gang circles as a shooter, has been convicted of first-degree murder in the 2013 slaying of Julius Vaughn.

A La Vista attorney who served as an alternate public defender in Cass County has been charged with three felonies, including forgery and identity theft. 

An Omaha man who gunned down his girlfriend in a parking lot last year was sentenced to prison. The victim's mother said she forgave the man because of her faith.

A man who fatally wounded a friend as he was shooting at another man outside a North Omaha party has been sentenced to at least 11 years in prison. 

A 22-year-old Omaha man accused of killing a 20-year-old woman in early November has been charged with first-degree murder and ordered held without bail.

A Gering man is slated to be tried in March on charges of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

Kevin Thornton has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder, use of a weapon to commit a felony and attempted robbery in the death of Sincere Brooks.

The man incarcerated at the Work Ethic Camp in McCook began serving a sentence of three to 10 years in February.

Authorities believe the same people were responsible for 45 thefts since June 2021 in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wisconsin totaling a $9 million loss.

A man charged in the disappearance of an Omaha woman went to the Omaha bar she was at on Nov. 19 and returned to her home, according to cellphone data and video surveillance.

A 16-year-old driver died Sunday when his car collided with a semitrailer truck east of Hastings.

A 79-year-old man from Leigh died last week after a crash east of Clarkson.

Derrie Seeman, 41, will face up to three years in prison at his sentencing in February.

Police said a preliminary investigation determined that the teen was struck by at least one gunshot. 

Officers were called to the 1900 block of Burlington Boulevard at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, where the body of a 20-year-old was found in an alley.

According to court documents, Bart Beutler called 911 and stated “84 South Platte.” When asked the nature of the emergency, he said “gunshot wound, I’m doing CPR.”

Mario Reyes, 63, could now face a civil commitment if he's deemed a danger to himself or others due to his mental illness.

Milagros Lopez, 23, of Omaha, died at the Nebraska Medical Center after being found in alley behind her home near 23rd and Castelar streets around 3 a.m. Thursday, police said.

Grand Island Police said Juan Alvarez Jr. was arrested on suspicion of first degree assault, use of a firearm to commit a felony and two counts of criminal mischief.

A person found dead Monday near Cunningham Lake in suburban Omaha has been identified as a missing Kearney man. 

Lancaster County District Judge Lori Maret sentenced Timothy McPeak to eight to 10 years in prison for what she called a serious matter where someone lost their life.