A 20-year-old woman who spurred a drug robbery in 2021 that resulted in a Lincoln man being killed in his home went to prison for it Thursday.
"Words will never be able to express how sorry I am to James and his family," a tearful Anna Feilen said first of James Shekie.
She said it hurts her every day knowing, that because of their actions, his kids have to grow up without a father. She hopes they can find forgiveness.
"I had no intentions of getting him hurt in any way," Feilen said.
Anna Feilen
Feilen was 17 when, early on Feb. 23, 2021, she and Marques Moten, a biological brother she hadn't known long, waited in a van outside Shekie's mobile home near North 20th and Superior streets as Deontae Rush kicked in his door to rob him of marijuana and money.
Soon after, they heard gunshots and a scream and drove away, only to pick up Rush soon after, empty-handed, at a nearby FedEx.
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Lincoln police found Shekie dead a week later after being called to check on him because his door had been left open for three days in frigid weather.
Investigators quickly discovered phone records that tied Feilen, who until recently had been staying at Shekie's home, and Moten to a plan to rob him.
And about a week later, Rush was arrested in Chicago, where he'd fled.
Rush since has been found guilty at trial of first-degree murder for fatally shooting Shekie in a failed attempt to rob him of 4 pounds of marijuana. Lancaster County District Judge Kevin McManaman already has sentenced him to life, plus 25 to 35 years.
Last month, the same judge gave Moten 35 to 45 years in prison for conspiracy to commit the robbery, a charge to which he and Feilen both pleaded no contest.
On Thursday, it was Feilen's turn for sentencing.Â
Deputy Lancaster County Public Defender Matthew Meyerle said: "Certainly there's no question this is a tragic set of circumstances that bring us here today."
Tragic for Shekie's family, and tragic for Feilen and her family, he said.
Meyerle asked for a sentence that recognized her young age when it happened and her lesser culpability, saying there was evidence Feilen didn't want to go along for the robbery and had been pressured by the adults.
In the two and a half years since the crime, he said, she has done a significant amount of work to try to come to terms with the circumstances in which she found herself "and work toward building a more positive and productive future."
Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Eric Miller said he understood the court had to consider her age and lack of criminal history before this.
"But this was a serious offense. A man lost his life due to the actions of these three individuals," he said.
James Shekie
Miller said that while he has no knowledge that Feilen, Moten or Rush intended to kill Shekie, they did know what they were doing. And Feilen was the one who told Moten about the marijuana.
"This robbery doesn't happen without her," he said. "Without her involvement, Mr. Shekie would still be alive."
McManaman, the judge, told Feilen that at the end of the day, she was the person who knew about the marijuana and without her this wouldn't have happened.
It was a home invasion, he said, and she knew Rush had a gun. Such a situation is highly likely to result in someone being hurt, if not killed, McManaman said.
"And that's what happened," he said, sentencing Feilen to eight to 12 years. "It was a dangerous violent crime and you were a part of it."
In a hearing immediately after, McManaman sentenced Feilen's biological mother, Lisa Moten, to a year in jail, the max, on a misdemeanor child abuse charge for knowing about the planned robbery and letting the teen go along.
Remembering Lincoln's homicide victims of 2023
1. Julian A. Martinez
Police found 18-year-old Julian Martinez with one gunshot wound to his chest near 19th Street and Euclid Avenue on Jan. 21 after an argument over with a neighbor over their pet dogs devolved into a fatal shooting, according to authorities.
Prosecutors charged Martinez’s neighbor, 29-year-old Armon Rejai, with first-degree murder in the teen’s death.
, Martinez’s family said he cherished his sisters and nephews, who he loved to play video games and roughhouse with. He shared his life and love with his girlfriend and his best friend, along with numerous cousins and relatives, his family said.
2. Rudy Requejo Jr.
Rudy Requejo Jr., who was 22 months old, died at an Omaha hospital March 17 after weeks of suspected abuse and neglect, police investigators alleged in court filings.
Prosecutors charged the boy’s mother, 30-year-old Brittany Cook, and her boyfriend, 32-year-old Joshua Tackett, with child abuse resulting in the child’s death.
His family remembered Requejo Jr.’s infectious joy that, at times, brought previously feuding family members together.Â
“Junior had a smile that was like gravity,†his aunt said.
3. Ronald Gonzalez Rivas
Ronald E. Gonzalez-Rivas, 45, was one of two maintenance employees at The Lodge Apartments who were run over and killed at the south Lincoln complex on March 27.
A resident of the apartment complex, 27-year-old Taylor Bradley, was charged with six felonies for her alleged role in the brazen attack, including a first-degree murder charge in Gonzalez-Rivas’ death, according to court records.
In , his wife of 11 years, Georgina Molina, said she was deeply saddened by his death and asked for prayers for their family. Gonzalez-Rivas left behind two children, ages 19 and 26.
4. Christopher Karmazin
A longtime maintenance employee at The Lodge Apartments in south Lincoln, Christopher J. Karmazin was one of two men killed there March 27 when he and a colleague were run over and killed by a 27-year-old resident, police alleged.
Prosecutors charged Taylor Bradley with six felonies for her alleged role in the hit-and-run attack. She was charged with first-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony in Karmazin’s death.
, family said the Lincoln man left behind three children and a loving wife.
"Chris loved spending time with his friends playing board games and was an avid animal lover," a relative, Garrett Karmazin, said in a post pinned to the fundraiser. “He enjoyed spending time outdoors and working with his hands. His greatest joy was being a father."
5. Damien Brave
Damien I. Brave, an 18-year-old Lincoln man, died in the early morning hours of April 1 after he was shot four times at a house party the night before near 27th and Fair streets.
Police in Michigan later arrested 17-year-old Kashaun M. McCree for his alleged role in Brave's death, thought to have been the result of a robbery gone wrong. Prosecutors charged McCree, who police say fled to Detroit after the shooting, with first-degree murder.
Brave's close friend and family, who , remembered him as a goofy, fun-loving kid whose beaming smile demanded that others join in.
"If you felt like crap or you felt down, and you got one of his hugs, you just felt like you were safe," his mother, Heidi Brave, said. "I'm the mom. I should have made him feel safe. But the way he just hugged you, it just made you feel like you were something special."
6. Mark Kruger
Mark Kruger, 59, died May 7 after he was stabbed amid an argument at a family gathering that evening near 63rd Street and Baldwin Avenue.
Police arrested Kruger's son, Joseph Kruger, at the scene. The 40-year-old was later charged with first-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony for his alleged role in his dad's death.
In , Mark Kruger's family described the Lincoln man as a loving father, grandfather, brother and uncle who loved music, concert-going and riding his Harley.
"... He loved to make the world smile," Kruger's family wrote. "He loved camping, fishing and going out on the boat. Mark always, always gave compliments and encouragement to all and he would give the shirt off his back for anyone."
The family also to help pay for his funeral.
7. Zachary Svoboda
Lincoln Police found Zachary Svoboda dead at his home near the North 50th and Greenwood streets on Aug. 23, 2023.
An autopsy determined the cause of death to be intoxication from a combination of methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Investigators have identified physical and digital evidence, along with witness statements, that show Svoboda's death was intentional.
Police have alleged Amanda Wright devised and carried out a plan to kill Svoboda.
She is currently being held at the Lancaster County jail.Â
8. James Baylor
James Baylor, who often went by Jim or Jimbo but whose legal first name was Robert, died at a Lincoln hospital Sept. 5, nine days after he suffered a head injury in an apparently random assault near 13th and P streets Aug. 27.
Police of Lincoln on suspicion of first-degree assault in the hours after the attack. Prosecutors later enhanced the charges filed against Rodriguez Alvis, charging him with manslaughter following Baylor's death.
Baylor's friends and family remembered the 55-year-old as "a dear, kind, tender soul that touched a lot of lives."
"He was always interested in other people and what they were doing and always enthusiastic about them," said his brother, John Baylor. "And it was completely authentic."
9. Larry Cole
Larry Cole, 76, was found in his residence on the 1100 block of New Hampshire Street on Dec. 19. Officers went to the home on a welfare check, which was called in by one of Cole's family members.
Police received no answer when they knocked and smelled natural gas, which led them to call Lincoln Fire and Rescue who turned off the gas.
When the air cleared, police went in and found Cole dead inside, as well as another man.
Cole's death later was ruled a homicide.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @LJSpilger
Lori Pilger
Courts reporter
