An Omaha man accused of strangling a woman to death in her apartment in 2022 pleaded guilty earlier this month to a reduced charge of second-degree murder.
Lorenzo Washington, 33, was originally charged with first-degree sexual assault and first-degree murder for the June 2022 killing of 58-year-old Rita Hash. In exchange for his guilty plea to the reduced second-degree murder charge, prosecutors dismissed the sexual assault allegation.
Almost two years after her death, few details have emerged about what led to Hash’s killing. Affidavits outlining the facts of the case remain sealed.
According to previous in-court statements from prosecutors, Hash was found dead in her apartment near Maple Street and Maplewood Boulevard on July 3, 2022. She was naked and had bruises on her body and neck, as well as injuries indicative of sexual assault.
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Hash’s cause of death was strangulation, according to prosecutors. Court documents indicate the killing took place June 30, 2022. Prosecutors said DNA evidence from used condoms and marks on Hash’s neck connected Washington to the crime.
Court documents show Washington was deemed incompetent to stand trial and was committed at the Lincoln Regional Center, a forensic psychiatric facility, from May to September 2023.
Washington will be sentenced June 7. He faces a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison.
What you missed last week in notable Omaha crimes and court cases
Last week's local crime and court updates from The World-Herald.
An Omaha man who was wounded while involved in a gunbattle on Ames Avenue last summer has been sentenced to three years probation.
The Nebraska State Patrol arrested two people early Saturday following a pursuit that ended in a southwest Omaha home's attic.
The Nebraska Supreme Court was split 4-3 on the decision in Christine Thiele's case. The majority reversed a Workers' Compensation Court ruling, sending her case back to that court.
The crash last Saturday killed 30-year-old Uber driver Kyle Arnold of Omaha and 26-year-old passenger Ross Lewis of Wilbur.
Steven “So Cold” Nelson faces five felony charges, including second degree assault and use of a firearm to commit a felony.
James Sawyer’s sentence stems from the shooting and killing of Elijah Foster on Feb. 5, 2019.
Omaha boxer Steven "So Cold" Nelson was arrested Thursday in connection with a March 31 shooting that injured a 14-year-old girl.
The driver in a suspected drunken driving crash that left two dead was released from the hospital and taken into custody Thursday, according to authorities.
Following a fight involving approximately 150 youth at Gene Leahy Mall on Saturday, the Omaha Police Department and park management said they're working to keep the park a safe spot for everyone.
An Omaha man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to selling a fentanyl-laced counterfeit Oxycodone pill that led to another man's fatal overdose.
A bartender in downtown Omaha told police that he was stabbed by a customer early Wednesday as he was trying to escort the man out of the business.
Omaha police are searching for a mother who is accused in a Douglas County warrant with causing the death of her 10-month-old son.
Omaha police and fire department are investigating a body found in a burned downtown Omaha warehouse that was being prepared for demolition.
An Omaha man is facing 11 felony charges after he allegedly struck two Douglas County Sheriff's Deputies with a stolen vehicle before leading police on a high-speed chase and striking two other cars.
An Omaha substitute teacher accused of the sexual abuse of a 17-year-old student appeared in court for the first time Tuesday and was ordered held on $25,000 bail.
An Omaha woman will be sentenced in June after pleading no contest to a charge of manslaughter in connection with a fatal shooting outside a Florence neighborhood bar.
A dog was found in an Omaha dumpster with duct tape covering his head and holding his legs together shortly before the dumpster was emptied. Now he is back recovering with his family.