Death penalty hearing for Aubrey Trail underway in Saline County iheart.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iheart.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
LORI PILGER
Lincoln Journal Star
WILBER â With Aubrey Trail noticeably absent from the defense table, a hearing got under way here Thursday to determine whether he will be sentenced to death for killing and dismembering a 24-year-old Lincoln woman in 2017.
Prosecutors allege Sydney Loofe s killing showed exceptional depravity, an aggravating circumstance that would make his case eligible for a death sentence.
Saline County District Judge Vicky Johnson, Cass County District Judge Michael A. Smith and Lancaster County District Judge Susan Strong ultimately will decide.Â
Under Nebraska case law, it can be shown by proof of: apparent relishing of the murder by the killer; infliction of gratuitous violence on the victim; needless mutilation of the victim; senselessness of the crime; or helplessness of the victim.
Nebraska man wants to skip his own death penalty hearing ktiv.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ktiv.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Aubrey Trail told the presiding judge that he "does not wish to attend" the hearings that will determine whether he s sentenced to life in prison or to death.