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 and Iowa crime news of 2021
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The saga of Oliver Glass
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Former Omaha gym owner convicted
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Former coach, security guard accused of rape
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The sentencing of Aubrey Trail
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Shooting of Officer Jeffrey Wittstruck
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Man acquitted of murder but convicted of witness tampering
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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, got 10 to 25 years in May for being a felon in possession of a weapon. 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.
Former Husker Katerian LeGrone acquitted
Katerian LeGrone, a former Husker football player, was found not guilty of first-degree sexual assault in April. The jury deliberated for about three hours in the case, in which LeGrone was accused of raping a University of Nebraska-Lincoln student in August 2019. Read more.
Man convicted in fatal crash
Garrett Bragg, 18, was found guilty of misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide in April in the death of a concrete truck driver. The prosecution said the actions of the victim, Gregory Brennan, saved Bragg's life in the October 2020 crash on Nebraska Highway 370. Read more.
Man pleads no contest to killing sex offender
James Fairbanks contemplated a self-defense claim in April, almost a year after he shot and killed convicted sex offender Mattieo Condoluci, but he ultimately pleaded no contest. “There are a lot of criminals in the world. You don’t get to confront them and then try to claim self-defense," said Chief Deputy Douglas County Attorney Brenda Beadle.
Douglas County landfill scheme
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Shooting at Westroads Mall
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Convicted murderer, child molester dies
Patrick Ronald Russell, who was serving a 110- to 126-year prison sentence, died in April. He killed 8-year-old Joseph "Poogie" Edmonds in Omaha in the 1970s. Read more.
Golf cart rustling
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Cold case heats up
Bud Leroy Christensen, a registered sex offender in Nebraska was arrested in April in the 1983 slaying of a UNO student. Authorities say DNA evidence was analyzed with technology not available at the time and was matched to Christensen. Read more.
Defendant returns to Nebraska for murder trial
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Teens charged with attempted murder
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Man charged in threats
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Man arrested in April 2020 slaying
Anthony Triplett was arrested in May on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of Ebony King in North Omaha more than a year earlier. Read more.
Omahan charged in fatal shooting of two men
Mabior M. Mabior is accused of killing Loklok W. Thok and Duop Tang Deng near 24th and Emmet Streets in March. He is being held without bail. Read more.
Bellevue man charged in deaths of his children
Adam L. Price was arrested in California on May 16, hours after his children were found dead in Bellevue. He was charged with two counts of negligent child abuse resulting in death, and his bail was set at $2.5 million. Read more.
Woman dies after domestic altercation
Omaha police say a 22-year-old woman died days after suffering a head injury. A man has been charged with manslaughter and two counts of felony child abuse. Read more.
Huge bail set for man who fled to Nicaragua
Adam Hawhee was ordered held on $50 million bail in May after he was brought back to Omaha from Nicaragua. He had earlier skipped a court appearance on child enticement and pornography charges. “I don’t recall any other bond in history that’s been that high,” Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said. “Obviously, he earned this.” Read more.
Man accused of committing and filming heinous crime
Police say David J. Coleman of Omaha repeatedly choked his then-girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter in December 2020 — and videotaped it. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of attempted murder. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for June. Read more.
Suspect in Sonic shooting faces unrelated charges
Roberto Silva was charged in May in an assault on a fellow Sarpy County Jail inmate. He is accused of killing two people and wounding two others in a shooting at a Sonic Drive-In in Bellevue last year. Read more.
Man gets prison time for deadly robbery
Brandon Shepherd was sentenced to 30 to 35 years in prison (cut in half under Nebraska law) for using a dating app to set up a meth robbery that turned fatal. His accomplice, Dominique Hanks, fired the sot that killed Omahan Michael Streich. Read more.
Man charged in November 2020 slaying
A judge ruled in June that Tip Mut will stand trial on charges of second-degree murder, attempter murder and more. Omaha police say he unintentionally killed his friend Gabriel Miller while shooting at another man, who survived. Read more.
Union Omaha player accused in internet romance scam
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Erica Jenkins wants to change her name
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Omaha police officer facing felony charges in Sarpy County
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Two teenagers die after shooting
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Teen's shooting of father ruled self-defense
19-year-old Malik Williams won't face charges for shooting his father in the groin and neck. He said he shot his dad, 46-year-old Lonnie C. Williams, because he had attacked his mother. Read more.
14-year-old among those killed in spike in violence
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Father charged in 6-month-old's death
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Violent hour: 1 killed, 4 wounded in 2 shootings
Early on June 16, in the middle of a month marred by a rise in homicides in Omaha, a 37-year-old man was killed and four others were wounded in two shootings separated by about 20 minutes. Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said authorities think that many of the recent shootings are “retaliatory in nature.” Read more.
Man says he killed wife because he could no longer care for her
80-year-old John Kotopka of Lincoln was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 78-year-old wife. He said that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's about two years ago and that he was “exhausted and couldn’t take care of her any longer.” Read more.
Omahan held on $10 million bail in sexual assaults
Steven Danon, 65, faces 12 felony charges relating to sexual assaults of children. He is accused of assaulting three boys for years and buying their silence with money and drugs. Read more.
Woman faces decades in prison for sexual assaults
Christina M. Greer will serve at least 32 years in prison. A Sarpy County jury found her guilty of sexually assaulting two boys, ages 12 and 13. Read more.
Man put a stop to abuse, then assaulted girl himself
A judge sentenced Kokou Domkpo in June for sexually assaulting a girl when she was 15 and 16. The victim said Domkpo "made her give him sex for getting her out of a previous sexual abuse situation." Read more.
The sentencing trial of Bailey Boswell
A three-judge panel is weighing whether Bailey Boswell should be sentenced to death or life in prison for her role in the murder of Sydney Loofe. A three-day hearing ended in early July, and the judges will announce their decision after written arguments are submitted in August. 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.
