Nikko Jenkins

Jenkins was born in Colorado to parents David A. Magee and Lori Jenkins.[6] His family were notorious for being violent criminals dating back generations, and he and his siblings' childhoods were all filled with violence, physical abuse and criminal activity by their parents. His first known criminal act was when he brought a gun to school at age 7; no one was hurt in this incident. He also got his criminal record at age 15 for hijacking and aggravated assault.

At about 5 a.m. on the morning of August 11, 2013, a patrol officer discovered two bodies in a white Ford pick-up truck parked near a city swimming pool at 18th and F St, in Spring Lake Park.[7] The two victims, identified as Juan Uribe-Pena and Jorge C. Cajiga-Ruiz, had been shot in the head, and their pockets turned inside out. They were lured there thinking that they would be able to have sexual relations with two women.[8] The random double-murder began Jenkins' spree, less than two weeks after his release from prison on July 30.

On August 19, around 7 a.m., the body of Curtis Bradford was found outside a detached garage at 18th and Clark St, by a man returning home from a night shift at a convenience store.[9] Investigators arrived to find two bullet wounds in Bradford's back. It was later revealed that Bradford and Jenkins had posed for a Facebook photo posted the day before.[2] Bradford would be the only victim familiar to Jenkins.

Jenkins' fourth and final victim, Andrea Kruger, was discovered on August 21, at about 2:15 a.m., by a deputy sheriff responding to a shots-fired call. Her body was found lying in the road at 168th and Fort St, with multiple bullet wounds. Kruger had been returning home after a bartending shift near 178th and Pacific St. Surveillance footage showed her locking up the Deja Vu Lounge at 1:47 a.m. At 6:30 that evening Kruger's gold 2012 Chevrolet Traverse SUV was found abandoned 12 miles (19 km) away in an alley at 43rd and Charles St.[10] Later that week, a news conference was held by Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning, in which he stated that investigators believed the SUV had been abandoned roughly 2.5 hours after being stolen, and that a "feeble attempt" had been made at setting the vehicle's interior ablaze.[11]

On August 30, 2013, Jenkins was arrested on an unrelated terroristic threats charge. By then, evidence against him had mounted—investigators had the image of a female associate on surveillance footage at a local gun outlet buying the kind of distinctive ammunition (Brenneke Classic Magnum 12-gauge, commonly known as "deer slugs") that had been used to commit the killings.[2][8] Additional footage had been pulled from cameras along the route to Kruger's abandoned SUV.[11][12] On the evening of September 3, Jenkins confessed to all four murders during a rambling 8-hour interview. Jenkins told police that the acts were sacrifices to Apophis, a deity in the ancient Egyptian religion.[8] He was charged with four counts of murder following the confession.[2]

In handwritten letters dated November 3, 2013 submitted to the Omaha World-Herald, prosecutors, and a judge, Jenkins said he wished to plead guilty to all counts in the four slayings, and that he would protect Apophis' kingdom with "animalistic savage brutality".[13]

On February 19, 2014, Jenkins filed a federal lawsuit seeking $24.5 million from the State of Nebraska for wrongfully releasing him from prison, stating that his claims of hearing voices from Apophis were repeatedly ignored. In the six-page handwritten filing, he stated that being kept in solitary confinement augmented his schizophrenia. He blamed corrections officials for the four killings.[14] Jenkins claimed that his problems were caused by mental illness, and that he had schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The judge ordered a psychiatric evaluation, and a psychiatrist concluded that Jenkins had antisocial personality disorder and was faking psychotic symptoms.[3]

After being declared competent to stand trial,[15] the proceedings against Jenkins commenced. On his request, Jenkins was allowed to represent himself at trial, under the guidance of advisory attorneys.[16] Throughout the trial, Jenkins maintained that he acts under the command of Apophis.[5] His courtroom antics included speaking in tongues, howling, and laughing as prosecutors recounted the details of his victims' deaths.[1] On April 16, 2014, Judge Peter Bataillon found Nikko Jenkins guilty of all four murders.[1]

Jenkins was initially scheduled to be sentenced on August 11, 2014. The date was delayed indefinitely following a hearing held to determine whether he was capable of understanding the death penalty proceedings against him.[17] On July 29, Judge Bataillon ordered Jenkins to be housed at the Lincoln Regional Center psychiatric hospital until doctors were satisfied with his condition.[18] Officials at the Regional Center refused to house Jenkins due to inadequate security,[19] but doctors agreed to treat him at a Lincoln prison.[20]

In May 2017, Jenkins was sentenced to death by a three-judge panel. He was also sentenced to 450 years in prison on weapons charges connected with the murders.[21]

On April 20th, 2020, the Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal.[22]

• Capital punishment in Nebraska
• List of death row inmates in Nebraska

• Ombudsman report
• Nebraska Department of Correctional Services: Inmate Details
• Murder timeline (Omaha World-Herald)