Two men charged in connection with the shooting death of a 21-year-old Lincoln man during a botched home-invasion robbery in August entered pleas this week to reduced charges in deals with prosecutors.
Jason A. Holmes, 23, and Micheal A. Nevels, 26, both pleaded no contest to accessory to robbery.
Holmes, who is said to have been the getaway driver and the man who planned the robbery, went to court Thursday. Nevels, the man who had the weapon after the shooting, was in the same courtroom Tuesday.
Two others -- Joshua Carr and Derick Lewis -- are accused of first-degree murder, attempted robbery and gun charges for Maurice Williams' Aug. 30 death. Carr and Lewis are awaiting trial.
In court Thursday, Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Bruce Prenda said police believe Carr shot Williams once with a stolen Winchester rifle, which police found in a Sept. 12 search of a Lincoln home where Nevels sometimes stayed.
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Testing at the Nebraska State Crime Laboratory confirmed the rifle was a ballistic match to the bullet that shot Williams, Prenda said.
Williams was shot in his home at Lionsgate Apartments, 5062 R St., at about 1 a.m. Aug. 30 after two men -- allegedly Carr and Lewis -- burst through the door.
Prenda said a cooperating informant told police Carr shot Williams because he had moved after being told not to.
Nevels and Holmes face up to five years in prison when they're sentenced, Nevels in May and Holmes in June.
Nevels could get 20 more years for attempted robbery for a separate home-invasion robbery Sept. 11 to which he has pleaded no contest.
In that case, police say Nevels, Jomarcus Scott, 19, and allegedly Carr, pulled guns on people in an apartment at 4611 Huntington Ave. after talking their way in.
Scott's sentencing, originally set this week, was postponed until June. He pleaded guilty to robbery and use of a firearm to commit a felony for the September robbery. He also pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree assault for shooting a man in the shoulder a week earlier in the 700 block of North 25th Street.