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. 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.