Nikko Jenkins: The Man Who Said “It Will Be Bad” When He Got Out, and the 11 Days Until Omaha Started Counting Bodies
- Strange Case Files
- Feb 26
- 4 min read
In Omaha, Nebraska, four people were killed in August 2013 in three separate attacks. Prosecutors said the killings were carried out by Nikko Jenkins, a man who had just been discharged from prison. What made the case feel different, almost immediately, was that the violence did not look like it came out of nowhere. Years earlier, prison staff documented Jenkins talking about killing people after release. In 2013, as the discharge date got close, the language in those records began to read like a countdown.
The Teen Crimes That Put Him Inside
Jenkins’ path into prison started young. Reporting summarized his early sentence as stemming from violent crimes committed as a teenager, including carjackings at age 15, with additional assaults occurring while he was incarcerated. By the time he approached release in 2013, he had spent much of his life inside institutions, with a disciplinary history that shaped how prison officials managed him.
The Warnings That Kept Getting Written Down
Long before his release date was close, staff documented Jenkins talking about what he wanted to do when he got out.
In 2008, prison records described him telling a unit manager that he planned to randomly go to suburban houses and start killing people after release. Mental health staff documented similar concerns, and a memo described him as dangerous, with ongoing homicidal ideation and threats tied to getting out.
This is the part that changes how the story reads. Those were not statements collected after the killings. They were written down years earlier.
Spring 2013, When the Countdown Shows Up in the Notes
In 2013, with discharge approaching, the warnings in the record became more immediate.
The Ombudsman report describes Jenkins telling a prison social worker that he was “not kidding” and that “it will be bad” when he gets out. Later that month, the report describes him saying that when he gets out “it will begin,” and it notes allusions to killing “without prejudice.” These are the documented statements that sit underneath the simplified version people repeat online.
July 30, 2013: Discharged, Not Paroled
Jenkins was discharged from prison. That detail matters because discharge is not parole. It meant he was not leaving under parole supervision and was not being managed day to day by a parole officer the way some releases are.
Eleven Days Later, Two Men Are Dead
According to an Associated Press report carried by Omaha Public Radio, prosecutors said the first killings happened 11 days after release.
On August 11, 2013, Juan Uribe Pena and Jorge Cajiga Ruiz were killed.
The Violence Continues, and the City Realizes It Is Not One Incident
The same AP report states prosecutors said Curtis Bradford was killed on August 19, and Andrea Kruger was killed on August 21, with Kruger’s killing described as a carjacking attack in which her SUV was taken. Four victims, three dates, ten days.
The People Around Him
This case is often remembered as one man moving through Omaha alone. The court record and local reporting show the picture was wider, with family members and associates appearing at key moments.
Erica Jenkins
Erica Jenkins is Nikko Jenkins’ sister. In her Nebraska Supreme Court case summary, the court lists her sentence as life in prison for first-degree murder, plus additional consecutive terms of 40 to 50 years on other counts connected to the Curtis Bradford case.
Christine Bordeaux
Christine Bordeaux is Jenkins’ cousin. Local reporting states Bordeaux was sentenced to 20 years for robbery in connection with Jenkins’ crimes, and later had 20 to 40 years added to a life sentence in a separate prison assault case.
Warren Levering
Warren Levering is Jenkins’ uncle. Reporting states Levering was sentenced to 40 years for his role in Andrea Kruger’s murder, and describes the group traveling together that day because Jenkins wanted to steal a car.
The Sentencing
In May 2017, a three-judge panel sentenced Nikko Jenkins to death for the four murders. Not executed as of today.
The Lawsuits Afterward and the Present Day
Once Omaha buried four victims, the story did not end with a conviction. Families turned to civil court, arguing the warnings were not vague, not hidden, and not new. They argued the system had notice and still released him anyway. In 2016, federal appellate decisions in Kruger v. Nebraska and Glasgow v. Nebraska show how the law draws a hard line between what feels like accountability and what the courts will actually treat as legal liability in release cases.
And years later, the case is still moving, but in a different direction. Jenkins has not been executed. As of February 2026, local reporting describes him trying to dismiss post-conviction proceedings, a step the court must evaluate before anything can move forward.
Verified Timeline
July 30, 2013: Jenkins discharged from prison.
Aug. 11, 2013: Prosecutors said Juan Uribe Pena and Jorge Cajiga Ruiz were killed.
Aug. 19, 2013: Prosecutors said Curtis Bradford was killed.
Aug. 21, 2013: Prosecutors said Andrea Kruger was killed.
May 30, 2017: Three-judge panel sentenced Jenkins to death.
2016: Federal appellate decisions issued in civil cases tied to victims’ estates.
Feb. 24, 2026: Jenkins sought to dismiss post-conviction relief proceedings.
Case Facts
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Year: 2013
Victims: Juan Uribe Pena; Jorge Cajiga Ruiz; Curtis Bradford; Andrea Kruger
Responsible person: Nikko Jenkins (sentenced to death)
Status now: Nikko Jenkins not executed as of Feb 2026; motion filed to dismiss post-conviction relief case
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