A 53-year-old Lincoln man has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter for the death of his neighbor, Luis Noguera Comas, in March.Â
Timothy McPeak hasn't yet been given a trial date following his arraignment Wednesday.Â
If convicted, he would face up to 50 years on the assault charge and up to 20 years for manslaughter, a killing without malice upon a sudden quarrel or a death caused unintentionally during an unlawful act.
In court records, police say they went to an apartment building at 928 E St. at 8:21 p.m. March 20 on a disturbance and found Noguera in the hallway with severe wounds to his head.
Noguera, 76, died at the scene. An autopsy determined he died of a broken neck.
In the affidavit for McPeak's arrest, police said Noguera had threatened McPeak with a knife and that McPeak hit him and "knocked him out."
A witness told police Noguera had knocked on McPeak's door with a knife in his hand and McPeak allegedly said: "If you're going to stab me, stab me" and "I'm going to kill you."
Police believe McPeak came out of his apartment and approached Noguera on the stairs, grabbing his ankle and right hand to disarm him, causing Noguera to fall.
McPeak asked other tenants to call for help.
Police found Noguera at the bottom of the stairs bleeding from his head, and McPeak, with blood on his right hand, outside the apartment building with several other residents.
They interviewed and arrested McPeak at the scene.
Lincoln police officers were called to a disturbance at an apartment building at 928 E St. on March 20, 2021, where they found Luis Noguera Comas deceased in the hallway with injuries to his head so severe they initially thought he had been shot.
Timothy McPeak made a brief court appearance Tuesday by video from his jail cell after being charged with manslaughter and first-degree assault in connection to Luis Noguera Comas' death March 20.