Opinion ID: 1692959
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 22

Heading: Murder and Use of Weapon

Text: A person commits murder in the first degree if he kills another person ... in the perpetration of ... robbery [or] kidnapping.... Neb.Rev.Stat. § 28-303(2) (Reissue 1995). Any person who uses a firearm... to commit any felony which may be prosecuted in a court of this state ... commits the offense of using firearms to commit a felony. Neb.Rev.Stat. § 28-1205(1) (Reissue 1989). Karen died of a gunshot wound to her back near the Platte River bridge in Sarpy County. A shell casing found near her body was fired from the handgun found in her car when Soukharith was stopped in Wyoming. The physical size, shape, and pattern of shoe impressions taken from the crime scene matched Soukharith's shoes. Finally, while in detention, Soukharith wrote a letter that is tantamount to a confession to the crime. We have previously concluded that there is sufficient evidence to support the robbery and kidnapping convictions. Furthermore, there is sufficient evidence that Soukharith used the handgun found in Karen's car to kill Karen during the perpetration of a kidnapping and robbery, which is enough to support the convictions for murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony.