OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Nikko Jenkins is a familiar name and face in Omaha. Over a decade ago, right after being released from prison, he murdered four people in 10 days.
A three-judge panel gave Jenkins the death penalty. Now, his defense team wants $50,000 to study his mental health and challenge his death sentence.
Days ago, Jenkins’ attorneys filed a motion in Douglas County District Court, urging the judge to move quickly on their request. They argue their client’s mental health is going downhill dramatically — that Jenkins cut his own neck open to remove what he believed was a tumor, and that they need the court to authorize the $50,000 so an experienced mitigation expert can examine Jenkins and make recommendations based on his current mental health crisis.
The judge already greenlit a payment of $7,000 to advancing real change to begin researching Nikko’s upbringing. That money has run out.
Jenkins’ mental health has been front and center for years. At the age of seven, he brought a loaded handgun to school. He later told detectives the god Apophus told him to kill.
Once in custody, there were several examples of self-mutilation. In 2017, experts had dueling conclusions regarding his competency. The judge sided with the forensic psychologist who concluded Jenkins was faking aspects of mental illness and knows right from wrong — and that was the deciding factor to proceed with the death sentence.
The argument that Nikko needs the government to pay to study his mental health is ridiculous to the families of the victims. The mother of Andrea Kruger, who was pulled from her car and murdered by Jenkins and several of his family members in 2013, says, “He’s pure evil and there is no study, no medication, no rehabilitating, and no amount of money that can fix it. He is exactly where he belongs for the safety of every Nebraskan.”
The mother of Curtis Bradford, who was also murdered by Jenkins, calls him nothing but an “attention seeker.” She wonders why the families have to put up with this nonsense at least once a year.
Douglas County District Court Judge Peter Bataillon has scheduled a hearing on the motion for funding in July, but Jenkins’ attorney argues they can’t wait until then and that it’s critical to ensuring he has due process.
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