An Omaha woman who pretended to agree to have sex with a Bellevue man for money was sentenced Thursday for her part in his murder.
Alisia C. Cooke, 30, was sentenced to 60 years to life in prison, a term that is cut in half under state sentencing guidelines.
Cooke
Cooke pleaded guilty in Sarpy County District Court to second-degree murder in connection with the 2018 slaying of Brent Quigley, 39, in his home near 42nd and Harrison Streets. Cooke changed her plea from not guilty in exchange for the Sarpy County attorney lowering the charge from first-degree murder.
Charges of robbery, conspiracy to commit a felony and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony were also dropped. Cooke faced a possible sentence of 20 years to life in prison when she appeared before Judge Stefanie Martinez.
She was one of five people arrested in connection with the death of Quigley on June 26, 2018. During a preliminary hearing, a Bellevue police detective testified that Cooke told officers that a plan was hatched to rob Quigley of money and drugs.
Once Cooke was inside the home, she told police, she accompanied Quigley to a bedroom but then found a pretext to leave and unlock the front door. The plan, she said, was to rob Quigley and pistol-whip him, but he was killed when he tried to flee.
Detective Roy Howell said officers found Quigley lying near his front door with at least 20 stab wounds.
Christopher J. Reagan, 48, of Omaha was found guilty of second-degree murder, and Raymond T. Davis, 31, of Des Moines was convicted of first-degree murder. Martinez sentenced both men to life in prison.
Martinez also sentenced Davis to 18 to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit robbery and 18 to 20 years for use of a weapon to commit a felony. She sentenced Reagan to 18 to 20 years for conspiracy and 18 to 20 years for possession of a deadly weapon.
Krystal R. Martin, 21, of Hawk Point, Missouri, was sentenced to five to 20 years in prison for being an accessory to a felony. Jonathan Riesgaard, 34, of Omaha is charged with being an accessory to a felony and is awaiting trial.
Notable Nebraska crime news of 2021
Notable Nebraska crime news of 2021
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The sentencing of Aubrey Trail
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Shooting of Officer Jeffrey Wittstruck
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Kenisha Prentice will serve about six years to about 13 years in prison for a crash that killed one man and left another with brain damage. The family of the survivor thought the sentence was too light. It was Prentice's second drunken driving conviction. Read more.
Man acquitted in 2016 drive-by killing
Otis Walker was found not guilty in the slaying of Markeise Dunn in March, almost two years after Walker's first trial in the case ended in a mistrial. Read more.
Woman accused in slayings of two men
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Gang member not getting off easy
Fabian Inda, who was sentenced to only three years in prison in a torture case in 2017, will serve at least 10 years and as many as 60 for being a felon in possession of a weapon. He was convicted in March and will be sentenced in May. Read more.
Man sentenced in debit card scheme
Over four days in 2016, Randall Hillman stole $33,241 from an Alliance ATM and tried to steal another $36,216. In March, he was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay tens of thousands of dollars in restitution and fines. Read more.
Death row inmate dies at 55
Arthur Lee Gales, who killed two children in Omaha in 2000, died April 3 at the Tecumseh State Prison. Under state law, a grand jury is required to investigate his death. Read more.
kevin.cole@owh.com, 402-444-1272
Kevin Cole
Kevin Cole covers Omaha crime and public safety news. Follow him on Twitter @KevinColeOmaha. Phone: 402-444-1272.
