BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY
Nikko Jenkins
| Nikko Allen Jenkins | |
|---|---|
Booking photo
| |
| Born | September 16, 1986 Omaha, Nebraska, USA |
| Residence | Unspecified prison in Lincoln, Nebraska[1] |
Criminal penalty
| Pending mental clearance[2] |
| Conviction(s) | 4 counts of 1st degree murder (April 16, 2014)[3] |
| Killings | |
| Victims | 4 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Nebraska |
| Weapons | 12-gauge shotgun[4] |
Date apprehended
| August 30, 2013 |
Nikko Jenkins is a convicted American spree killer known for committing four murders in Omaha, Nebraska in August 2013. Jenkins is easily identified by his facial tattoos, which he claims to be in the language of the ancient serpent god Apophis,[3] under whose commands he claims to act.[5] Jenkins' murder spree occurred within a month after he had been paroled from serving a ten-year prison sentence for unrelated armed robbery and assault charges.
Early years
Jenkins spent the majority of his life leading up to the murder spree behind bars.[6] 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. He had committed multiple assaults, including one knife assault, by age 12. In 2003, after spending time in a youth detention facility, Jenkins was sent to prison for two armed carjackings. 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.[6][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.[4] Bradford would be the only victim familiar to Jenkins.
Jenkins' fourth and final victim, Andrea Kruger, was discovered by a passerby on August 21, at about 2:15 a.m. 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. Kruger's gold 2012 Chevrolet Traverse SUV was found abandoned 12 miles (19 km) away, in an alley at 43rd and Charles Streets, at 6:30 that evening.[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 | Race | Crime scene | Method | Relation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 11, 2013 | Juan Uribe-Pena[8] | 26 | Hispanic | 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 | Hispanic | 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 | Black | Near 18th & Clark St, outside detached garage | shot in head | met in prison |
| 4 | August 21, 2013 | Andrea Kruger[11] | 33 | White | 168th St near Fort St, middle of road | multiple shots | none |
Arrest
On August 30, Nikko Jenkins was arrested on an unrelated terroristic threats charge. But 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.[4][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.[4]
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' 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]
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.[5] His courtroom antics included speaking in tongues, howling, and laughing as prosecutors recounted the details of his victims' deaths.[3]
On April 16, Judge Peter Bataillon found Nikko Jenkins guilty of all four murders.[3]
Sentencing dilemma
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.[2] Officials at the Regional Center refused to house Jenkins due to inadequate security,[19] but doctors agreed to treat him at a Lincolnprison.[1]
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