An Omaha woman accused of arranging for a man to be beaten to death earlier this month had her bail set at $10 million during her first court appearance Thursday.Â
Jessica Hernandez, 26, faces charges of manslaughter and evidence tampering. She would have to pay 10%, or $1 million, to be released from jail ahead of trial.
Hernandez's bail amount is significantly higher than that of her codefendant, 24-year-old Nadim Zarazua-Hernandez Jr., who is charged with manslaughter and accused of executing the deadly beating. Zarazua-Hernandez's bail was set at 10% of $200,000 earlier this week, and he posted bail Wednesday.Â
Carlos Salguero-Canar, 30, was found beaten to death at an apartment complex near 27th and Harrison streets on June 2. During bail hearings for both defendants, prosecutors alleged that surveillance video from the parking lot of the apartment complex shows Zarazua-Hernandez repeatedly striking Salguero-Canar in the face and head until he falls to the ground.Â
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Prosecutors said on Thursday that, after Zarazua-Hernandez fled the area, Hernandez called 911 and allegedly relayed false information about Salguero-Canar's injuries. She allegedly told police that she didn't know how he had gotten injured — but prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind behind the deadly beating, inviting Zarazua-Hernandez to beat up Salguero-Canar.Â
The evidence tampering charge stems from allegations that Hernandez kept possession of Salguero-Canar's phone after his death and deleted his WhatsApp and Snapchat accounts.Â
Hernandez retained a private attorney, Bassel El-Kasaby, about 30 minutes prior to the bail hearing. El-Kasaby requested a similar bail amount to Zarazua-Hernandez, noting that Hernandez did not partake in any "direct violence."
But because of the additional tampering charge and the allegations that Hernandez orchestrated the beating, Douglas County Court Judge Grant Forsberg ordered that she be held on $10 million bail.Â
Both Hernandez and Zarazua-Hernandez will appear for a preliminary hearing on July 24, at which point a judge will decide if there is probable cause for the case to progress in district court.Â