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Prosecutors filed enhanced charges Tuesday against the 22-year-old Lincoln man accused of killing a 55-year-old man in an apparently random assault on a downtown street corner late last month, according to court filings.
The Lancaster County Attorney's Office initially charged Angel Rodriguez Alvis with first-degree assault for his alleged attack on James Baylor near 13th and P streets in the early morning hours of Aug. 27.
Rodriguez Alvis had already paid $50,000 to bond out of jail by Sept. 5, when Baylor, whose friends and family remembered as "a dear, kind, tender soul," died of his injuries nine days after the alleged attack.
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Rodriguez Alvis
Prosecutors filed an amended complaint Tuesday in Lancaster County Court, charging Rodriguez Alvis with first-degree assault and adding manslaughter to the two-count complaint against him, according to court filings.
Deputy County Attorney Chris Turner had also filed a motion imploring Judge Laurie Yardley to review Rodriguez Alvis' bond amount and conditions, according to the filings.
Yardley did not order an increase to the 22-year-old's bond amount but did update his bond conditions, according to an order filed Tuesday that noted Rodriguez Alvis is not allowed to possess or consume alcohol nor contact any witnesses in his case as it progresses through the court system.
Rodriguez Alvis is only allowed to leave Nebraska for "employment purposes," Yardley said in the order. The Lincoln man told Judge Thomas Zimmerman at his initial court appearance that he is a member of the Kansas National Guard.
The amended complaint prosecutors filed Tuesday comes more than three weeks after police were dispatched to the southeast corner of 13th and P streets shortly after 1 a.m. Aug. 27 on a report of a man who was "bleeding from the head and barely breathing," police said in court records.
Rescue crews took the man, later identified as Baylor, to Bryan West Campus with a "significant brain bleed." He died more than a week later.
A 39-year-old man who witnessed the alleged attack told police that he saw a man wearing a plaid shirt get out of a green station wagon-style vehicle and approach Baylor, punching him in the face a single time, police said.
Two women who had been with the man in plaid — later identified as Rodriguez Alvis — were trying to stop the 22-year-old from punching Baylor, the witness told police.
Baylor fell backward after Rodriguez Alvis punched him and struck his head on the sidewalk. Rodriguez Alvis got back into the station wagon and drove away.
Less than an hour later, Rodriguez Alvis drove the distinct car back to the alleged crime scene, where police recognized it and followed it before arresting him amid a traffic stop near 18th and O streets.
The charges Rodriguez Alvis now faces carry a combined penalty of up to 70 years in prison. The 22-year-old is scheduled to appear in court again in November.
Baylor's death marks Lincoln's seventh suspected killing of 2023.
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 Kashuan 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 402-473-7223 or awegley@journalstar.com. On Twitter @andrewwegley
Andrew Wegley
State government reporter
