In the early hours of 11 August, 2013, Omaha police discovered a pickup truck abandoned near Spring Lake Park.
In the early hours of 11 August, 2013, Omaha police discovered a pickup truck abandoned near Spring Lake Park. Inside were the bodies of Juan Uribe-Pena, 26, and Jorge Cajiga-Ruiz, 29. Both men had been shot in the head at close range. Their wallets and belongings were missing, indicating robbery.
Eight days later, on 19 August, another body was found near a detached garage in northeast Omaha.
The victim was Curtis Bradford, 22, who had also been shot to death and robbed. Investigators later learned Bradford had previously been incarcerated with a man named Nikko Jenkins.
On 21 August, a concerned resident called police after hearing gunshots near 180th and Maple Streets. Officers found Andrea Kruger, 33, lying in the street, shot multiple times after returning home from her late shift at a restaurant. Her vehicle had been stolen.
Jenkins was arrested on 29 August, 2013, on unrelated weapons charges. As investigators pieced the cases together, evidence quickly pointed toward him. Surveillance footage, witness statements, and ballistic evidence linked the murders. During questioning, Jenkins confessed, stating that he had carried out the killings as sacrifices to Apophis, an ancient Egyptian serpent deity. He later claimed he had been hearing voices commanding him to kill.
At the time of the murders, Jenkins had been out of prison for less than a month, having been released on July 30 after serving more than ten years of an 18-year sentence for armed robbery and related crimes.
Jenkins’ courtroom behavior was erratic and disturbing. He laughed during testimony, spoke incoherently, and at times refused to cooperate with counsel. While awaiting sentencing, he carved “666” into his forehead and severely mutilated his tongue and genitals, claiming it would make him more serpent-like. Despite defense arguments that he suffered from severe mental illness, Jenkins was found competent to stand trial.
In 2014, Jenkins pleaded no contest and was convicted of all four murders. A three-judge panel sentenced him to four consecutive death sentences, along with hundreds of additional years for related crimes.

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