One of the four juveniles charged as adults in the carjacking and killing of an Omaha man last month appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday.
Joseph Keyes, 14, is one of six people to face charges of first-degree murder, robbery and other felonies in connection with 64-year-old Mursal Jama’s Aug. 13 death. Prosecutors say the six boys accosted Jama in his garage at the Camelot Apartments, shooting him once before taking off in his car.
Keyes was set to appear for the Tuesday hearing alongside two of his codefendants, 16-year-old Dasean Titsworth-Hunt and 17-year-old Trenton Titsworth-Hunt, but both opted to waive the hearing and face trial in Douglas County District Court. A preliminary hearing for the fourth juvenile charged as an adult, 16-year-old Talan Wilson, is set for next week.
The two others, ages 11 and 13, face the same charges in juvenile court. State law prohibits children younger than 14 from being charged as adults.
People are also reading…
Police: Robberies, multi-county pursuit preceded murder
Testimony from Omaha Police Homicide Detective Chad Frodyma offered new information about the preceding robberies and following multi-county pursuit. Police and prosecutors have not said which juvenile they suspect of firing the shot that killed Jama.
Shortly before 11 p.m. on Aug. 13, according to Frodyma, police received a report of an armed robbery at the QuikTrip gas station near 120th and Dodge Streets. Two men reported six juveniles robbed them at gunpoint, taking their wallets and attempting to steal their newer-model Mercedes before fleeing. They did not succeed in stealing the Mercedes.
The robbery was captured on the Mercedes’ dashcam, which included audio. Frodyma said the video had a clear picture of the six juveniles, some of whom were wearing masks to cover their faces. Three of the six — Keyes, Wilson and the 13-year-old — were wielding guns during the QuikTrip robbery, according to Frodyma.
Jama was shot and killed shortly before midnight, Frodyma said. Surveillance footage from the Camelot Apartments parking lot captured audio of the shooting and some video of the incident, though the view into Jama’s garage was partially obscured.
Police previously said Jama was sitting in his garage after returning home from a shift as an Uber driver when the boys approached him. Audio from the surveillance camera captured yelling, with at least one juvenile yelling something at Jama, before a single gunshot is heard. Frodyma said multiple juveniles initially ran from the garage after hearing the gunshot, but they all went back and piled into Jama’s car.
Jama was taken to the hospital, where he died. His cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the abdomen, Frodyma said.
It was about an hour later, shortly after 1 a.m. on Aug. 14, when Frodyma said police were alerted to a pursuit entering Douglas County. The Nebraska State Patrol and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office pursued the vehicle — allegedly Jama’s black Kia — from Nebraska City into Bellevue.
Also on Aug. 13, according to prosecutors, some of the boys were involved in an early morning smash-and-grab robbery at McGill’s Gun Shop in Nebraska City. Nine guns were stolen from the shop, and only five have since been recovered, according to Frodyma.
Police and prosecutors speculate the boys returned to Nebraska City after shooting Jama with the intent of returning to the gun shop. Law enforcement officers who were surveilling the business overnight saw a black Kia pull into the shop’s parking lot before abruptly taking off.
Though officers were unaware of the Kia’s relation to the carjacking and shooting of Jama, they were suspicious and pursued the car. The Nebraska State Patrol and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office pursued the car into the Omaha area.
Shortly after exiting Highway 75 onto Q Street in Omaha, Frodyma said the 13-year-old opened the front passenger door as the car was moving and “spilled out†before attempting to run. The Nebraska State Patrol cruiser followed the 13-year-old and quickly took him into custody, as the Cass County Sheriff’s Office cruiser continued to follow the Kia.
From Q Street, the Kia turned left onto 46th Street and continued northbound. The Kia came to a rolling stop near 46th and I Streets, and the five remaining occupants of the car ran away on foot. The Cass County deputy, who was alone at the scene after the Nebraska State Patrol vehicle broke off to pursue the 13-year-old, opted not to chase the five juveniles.
‘Cold and wet’ suspects apprehended
It was about 4 a.m. when 911 received a call from a woman near 46th Avenue and J Street reporting that three juveniles, later identified as Trenton Titsworth-Hunt, Keyes and the 11-year-old, were on her porch asking to be let inside. After they ran from the car, there had been a “torrential downpour†of rain, Frodyma said, and the boys were “cold and wet†as they waited on the porch.
When police arrived at the home, the boys attempted to flee but were quickly apprehended, Frodyma said. They were taken to the police station to be interviewed, where Keyes declined to speak with police. Frodyma said Keyes was wearing a gray sweatshirt and sweatpants, which matched what one of the boys was seen wearing in the Mercedes dashcam video.
Wilson was taken into custody the next day and Dasean Titsworth-Hunt was arrested the following week.
According to Frodyma, Trenton Titsworth-Hunt’s and Keyes’ cell phones were recovered after their arrests. A full data extraction, including GPS information, was completed on both phones, which showed Keyes at the scene of the QuikTrip robbery, Jama’s shooting and the pursuit, Frodyma said.
Frodyma said he also saw reviewed messages from Trenton Titsworth-Hunt and Keyes offering guns for sale, along with multiple videos of the six boys listening to music and flashing firearms.
Asked how and when the six boys came together on the evening of Aug. 13, Frodyma said it happened at some point after 7:45 p.m., as a timestamped video on Trenton Titsworth-Hunt’s cell phone showed him at his father’s house at 7:45 p.m.
Defense attorneys for Keyes asked only two questions during cross-examination, and neither prosecutors nor defense attorneys offered closing statements. Douglas County Court Judge Craig McDermott found probable cause to believe Keyes committed the charged crimes — first-degree murder, two counts of robbery and three counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony — and sent the case to Douglas County District Court for further proceedings.
Five of the six boys are being detained without bail at the Douglas County Youth Center. The 11-year-old cannot be legally detained and has been placed in emergency foster care.