Four more people have been arrested in the deaths of a missing Nebraska couple and their unborn baby after human remains believed to be theirs were located last week, according to police.
Authorities initially arrested Sterling James, 24, and his wife, Sayde Titus, in connection with the missing person’s case which turned into a homicide investigation, the Lincoln Police Department said in a Monday, February 2, news release.
James is accused of shooting Hannah Neville, 26, and her husband, Roberto Tanner, 27, in Lincoln the evening of January 15 or the early morning of January 16, police said. Their unborn baby is presumed dead as a result, according to authorities.
Titus then allegedly helped James bury the couple’s bodies, according to police.
James is Tanner’s half-brother, KOLN reported.
In an update on Wednesday, February 11, police announced that two men and two women have been taken into custody in connection with the couple’s deaths.
Ammie Mitchell, 47, Kendall Hawthorne, 57, Matthew Lickliter, 28, and Sheena Miller, 40, were arrested on charges of accessory to murder and tampering with evidence “for assisting Sterling James and Sayde Titus” in relation to the couple’s deaths, the Lincoln Police Department said.
It was not currently clear whether Mitchell, Hawthorne, Lickliter and Miller retained legal counsel following their arrests or whether they have entered pleas.
The day of their arrests, an attorney for Titus requested a judge to lower her bond, arguing that her alleged participation in the homicides is “significantly less” than her husband, James’ role, according to KETV, which did not mention Titus’ attorney by name.
Further information on Titus’ attorney, as well as whether James had retained legal counsel, was not currently available.
James is charged with first-degree murder, and Titus is charged with two counts of aiding and abetting first-degree murder, according to police.
On February 5, police announced that they located human remains in Saunders County “while searching an area of interest” in their investigation.
“While LPD is still awaiting pathology results from the human remains located by investigators in Saunders County last week, at this time we believe they are those of Hannah and Roberto,” police said on February 11.
Neville was 32 weeks pregnant when she died, KETV reported. Neville was from Stromsburg and was reported as missing on January 15 by her roommate, who was the last person to see her alive, according to police.
That day, Neville had gone to pick up Tanner in Lincoln, where James and Titus live, police said.
An investigation revealed that Neville and Tanner had been at Titus’ apartment before 7 p.m. on January 15, before Neville’s cell phone data linked her to a property where Mitchell, Hawthorne, Lickliter and Miller live in Lincoln, according to police.
That night James and Miller “got into James’ vehicle and drove about two miles north of the property, “with Tanner and Neville following them,” police said.
“Once at the location, James shot and killed Tanner and Neville,” according to police.
Miller is accused of helping James to move their bodies and of relocating Neville’s vehicle, which was later set on fire, police said.
Mitchell allegedly saw Neville’s body after her death and took personal items from her vehicle, according to police.
Lickliter also allegedly saw Neville, as well as Tanner, dead and “retrieved a torch” with James before Neville’s vehicle was found on fire, police said.
Hawthorne is accused of giving baby items that had been inside of Neville’s car to a friend, according to police.
“Those items are believed to contain physical evidence, and some have not been recovered,” police said.
Mitchell, Hawthorne, Lickliter and Miller are also accused of watching James and Titus clean their car following the couple’s deaths, according to police.
It is unclear why James allegedly killed Neville and Tanner, as authorities have yet to release a potential motive.
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