Nikko Jenkins

Nikko Allen Jenkins (sometimes spelled Nicholas on first name; born September 16, 1986) 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-and-a-half years of the 18 years to which he had been sentenced for a carjacking committed at age 15 and for assaults committed in prison. Jenkins later stated that he had committed the killings at the command of the ancient serpent god Apophis. He was found competent to stand trial, found guilty of the four murders, and was sentenced to death in May 2017.

Early years

Jenkins was born in Colorado to parents David A. Magee and Lori Jenkins. He had a long history of mental health and behavioral issues; at the age of 7, he brought a loaded handgun to school.

In November 2003, aged 17, he was convicted of armed robbery. In 2009, his father died while Jenkins was imprisoned. That same year, Nikko Jenkins and Erica Jenkins, his sister who was also imprisoned at the time, were allowed to temporarily leave prison with corrections officers to accompany them to their grandmother's funeral. During the funeral, a guard uncuffed one of Jenkins's hands so he could use the restroom. Jenkins and his sister then attacked the guard but were both restrained. On July 30, 2013, Jenkins was released from prison.

Murders

At about 5:01 a.m. on August 11, 2013, a patrol officer discovered two bodies in a white Ford pickup truck parked near a city swimming pool at 18th and F St, in Spring Lake Park. The two victims, identified as Juan Uribe-Pena and Jorge C. Cajiga-Ruiz, had each been shot once in the head by a shotgun, and their pockets turned inside out. They were lured to meet two women for a sexual encounter. The murder spree began with this random double-murder 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 Street by a man returning home from a night shift at a convenience store. Investigators arrived to find one revolver wound and one shotgun slug wound in the back of Bradford's head. It was later revealed that Bradford and Jenkins had met in prison and posed for a Facebook photo within 24 hours of Bradfords murder. It is believed that Nikko and Erica lured Bradford out by telling him that they wanted to do a robbery with him, and then they shot him in the back of the head. It is also believed that Erica wanted him dead because his friends shot at her house. Bradford would be the only victim familiar to Jenkins.

Jenkins' fourth and final victim, Andrea Kruger, a mother of three, 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 four 9mm gunshot wounds, two to the face, one to the neck, and one to the shoulder/back. Kruger had been returning home after a bartending shift near 178th, and Pacific Street 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 away in an alley at 43rd and Charles Street. 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.

Victims

Arrest

On August 29, 2013, Jenkins was arrested on an unrelated terroristic threats charge. By then, the 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. Additional footage had been pulled from cameras along the route to Kruger's abandoned SUV. 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. He was charged with four counts of murder following the confession.

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."

On February 19, 2014, Jenkins filed a federal lawsuit seeking $24.5 million from the State of Nebraska for wrongfully releasing him from prison. He stated 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. 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.

After being declared competent to stand trial (Jenkins scored 68 on an administered IQ test), the proceedings against Jenkins commenced. On his request, Jenkins was allowed to represent himself at trial under the guidance of advisory attorneys. Throughout the trial, Jenkins maintained that he acts under the command of Apophis. His courtroom antics included speaking in tongues, howling, and laughing as prosecutors recounted the details of his victims' deaths. On April 16, 2014, Judge Peter Bataillon found Nikko Jenkins guilty of all four murders.

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

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

Throughout his trial and imprisonments, Jenkins engaged in self mutilation numerous times, including on his face, tongue, and groin areas, and has required numerous stitches.

On April 20, 2020, the US Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal.

Accomplices and their final fates

Six of Jenkins's family members were captured in late August, 2013. All arrests were made in connection with the slaying spree.

Nikko Jenkins's sister, Erica Jenkins, was sentenced to life in prison for also shooting Bradford. She changed her name to Elluminati Egoddess Enikko Prestige.

Lori Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in a federal prison for buying the ammunition used in the slayings.

Christine Bordeaux, a cousin of the Jenkinses', was sentenced to 20 years for robbery in connection with the slayings. She was also assaulted by Erica Jenkins while they were being held in the same cell. Erica was armed with a bike lock contained in a sock.

Warren Levering, Nikko's uncle, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for his role in the murder of Andrea Kruger.

See also

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

References

External links

Ombudsman report

Nebraska Department of Correctional Services: Inmate Details

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Nikko
1986 births
2013 murders in the United States
21st-century American criminals
American male criminals
American people convicted of murder
American prisoners sentenced to death
American mass murderers
Crime in Nebraska
Crimes in Omaha, Nebraska
Criminals from Colorado
Criminals from Nebraska
Living people
Male murderers
People convicted of murder by Nebraska
People with antisocial personality disorder
People with intellectual disability
Prisoners sentenced to death by Nebraska