Nikko Jenkins

Nikko Jenkins
Booking photo
Born Nikko Jenkins
(1986-09-16) September 16, 1986
Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Residence Tecumseh State Correctional Institution in Tecumseh, Nebraska, as of June 2017[1]
Conviction(s) 4 counts of 1st degree murder (April 16, 2014)[2]
Criminal penalty Death
Details
Victims 4
Country United States
State(s) Nebraska
Weapons 12-gauge shotgun[3]
Date apprehended
 August 30, 2013

Nikko Allen Jenkins (born September 16, 1986)[4] is an American spree killer, convicted of committing four murders in Omaha, Nebraska in August 2013. The murders occurred within a month after he had been released from prison after serving ​10 1⁄2 years of the 21 years to which he had been sentenced for a carjacking committed at age 15 and for assaults committed in prison.[5]

Jenkins stated that he had committed the killings at the command of the ancient serpent god Apophis.[2][6] He was found competent to stand trial, found guilty of the four murders, and, in May 2017, sentenced to death.

Early years

Jenkins was born in Omaha, Nebraska to parents David A. Magee and Lori Jenkins. He spent much of his life prior to the murders in the criminal justice system.[4] He first entered the system at age 7, after bringing a loaded .25 caliber handgun to his elementary school. At age 11, Jenkins was kicked out of a group home for repetitive violence, and stopped regularly attending school. By age 13 he had committed multiple assaults including one knife assault. Jenkins was sent to prison in 2003 for two armed carjackings after spending time in a youth detention facility. While incarcerated, he was charged twice: for his part in a 2006 prison riot, as well as for assaulting a prison guard while on a furlough for his grandmother's funeral.[4][7]

Murders

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 Streets, in Spring Lake Park.[8] Both Juan Uribe-Pena and Jorge C. Cajiga-Ruiz had been shot in the head, their pockets turned inside out.[9] 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 Streets, by a man returning home from a night shift at a convenience store.[10] 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.[3] 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 Streets, with multiple bullet wounds. Kruger had been returning home after a bartending shift near 178th and Pacific Streets. 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 Streets.[11] 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.[12]

Victims

Date Name Age Crime scene Method Relation
1 August 11, 2013 Juan Uribe-Pena[8] 26 Pick-up truck by swimming pool at Spring Lake Park, near 18th & F St shot in head none
2 August 11, 2013 Jorge C. Cajiga-Ruiz[8] 29 Pick-up truck by swimming pool at Spring Lake Park, near 18th & F St shot in head none
3 August 19, 2013 Curtis Bradford[10] 22 Near 18th & Clark St, outside detached garage shot in head met in prison
4 August 21, 2013 Andrea Kruger[11] 33 168th St near Fort St, middle of road multiple shots none

Arrest

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.[3][9] Additional footage had been pulled from cameras along the route to Kruger's abandoned SUV.[12][13] On the evening of September 3, Jenkins confessed to all four murders during a rambling 8-hour interview, attributing the acts as a sacrifice to Apophis.[9] He was charged with four counts of murder following the confession.[3]

Trial

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's kingdom with "animalistic savage brutality".[14]

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.[15]

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; the psychiatrist concluded that Jenkins had antisocial personality disorder and was faking psychotic symptoms.[4]

After being declared competent to stand trial,[16] the proceedings against Jenkins commenced. On his request, Jenkins was allowed to represent himself at trial, under the guidance of advisory attorneys.[17] Throughout the trial, Jenkins maintained that he acts under the command of Apophis.[6] His courtroom antics included speaking in tongues, howling, and laughing as prosecutors recounted the details of his victims' deaths.[2]

On April 16, Judge Peter Bataillon found Nikko Jenkins guilty of all four murders.[2]

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.[18] On July 29, Judge Bataillon ordered Jenkins to be housed at the Lincoln Regional Center psychiatric hospital until doctors were satisfied with his condition.[19] Officials at the Regional Center refused to house Jenkins due to inadequate security,[20] but doctors agreed to treat him at a Lincoln prison.[21]

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.[22]

References

  1. ↑ Cooper, Todd (June 7, 2017). "Nikko Jenkins has been transferred to Tecumseh prison, but officials won't say if he's being housed on death row". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Cooper, Todd (April 16, 2014). "When judge asks, Nikko Jenkins says 'I killed them'". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved July 31, 2014. He claimed that "command voices" clouded his memory of the killings. He said he remembered that the voices matched phrases that are tattooed on his face. "Kill them, destroy them, attack them," he said, translating the words.
  3. 1 2 3 4 O'Brien, Maggie; Moring, Roseann (September 4, 2013). "CrimeStoppers tips linked 4 slayings, then Jenkins described spree to police". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Nikko Jenkins has spent his life in the system". Omaha World-Herald. September 8, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  5. ↑ Cooper, Todd; Wynn, Matt (September 5, 2013). "Why Nikko Jenkins was out on the street and not behind bars". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Cooper, Todd (April 2, 2014). "Nikko Jenkins opened up to police in 'long night'". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved July 31, 2014. Jenkins has maintained that he acts under the command of Opophis [sic], whom he calls an Egyptian serpent god.
  7. ↑ Cooper, Todd (September 5, 2013). "Judge's math let Nikko Jenkins out of prison early". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 Cole, Kevin (August 12, 2013). "2 found slain in truck at Omaha park". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 Cooper, Todd (May 4, 2014). "The night Nikko Jenkins confessed". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Skelton, Alissa; Cole, Kevin (August 20, 2013). "Homicide victim's mom says he was turning his life around". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  11. 1 2 Withrow, Jay; Skelton, Alissa (August 22, 2013). "Funeral set for Omaha woman shot on way home". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Sheriff: We have a killer on the loose". KETV. August 23, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  13. ↑ O'Brien, Maggie (September 6, 2013). "After Kruger slaying, police acted fast to prevent more killings". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved July 31, 2014. High-resolution security cameras also helped solve the case, said Dunning, who previously acknowledged that at least one image of Kruger's stolen sport utility vehicle was captured on a surveillance tape.
  14. ↑ Cooper, Todd (November 6, 2013). "In letter, Nikko Jenkins says he wants to plead guilty to all counts in 4 slayings". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved July 31, 2014. In those, Jenkins claimed to be ruled by an Egyptian serpent demon named "Ahpophis" [sic] and warned that he would protect the kingdom with "animalistic savage brutality."
  15. ↑ Cooper, Todd (February 20, 2014). " "Nikko Jenkins files federal lawsuit against prison system". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  16. ↑ Cooper, Todd (February 20, 2014). "Nikko Jenkins ruled competent to stand trial". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  17. ↑ Retzlaff, Duane (March 14, 2014). "Judge: Nikko Jenkins can represent himself in court". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  18. ↑ Cooper, Todd (July 10, 2014). "Hearing again asks: Is Nikko Jenkins really mentally ill?". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  19. ↑ Cooper, Todd (July 29, 2014). "Nikko Jenkins is ordered to Lincoln Regional Center for treatment". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Regional Center won't accept Nikko Jenkins". Lincoln Journal Star. August 4, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Nikko Jenkins will get treatment at Lincoln prison". Lincoln Journal Star. August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  22. ↑ Beck, Margery A. (May 30, 2017). "Man who killed 4 people in Omaha sentenced to death". Retrieved August 29, 2017.
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