Opinion ID: 4557653
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: This case concerns the fatal shooting of James Womack on September 18, 2017. Pursuant to this shooting, Benson was charged by amended information with second degree murder, use of a deadly weapon (firearm) to commit a felony, and possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person. The information was amended a second time to add two counts of tampering with a juror, witness, or informant regarding telephone calls made by Benson to witnesses Deja Jefferson and Erica Guitron on February 11 and 12, 2019. Motion to Suppress Statements Prior to trial, Benson filed a motion to suppress and exclude any and all statements made by him to officers of the Omaha Police Department (Department) on September 20 and 23, 2017. On September 20, Benson had made statements to Officer Mark Negrete to report that his pickup had been stolen and that he believed it may have been used in the commission of the shooting. Benson argued that his statements on September 20 were inadmissible because he was subjected to custodial interrogation and never informed of his Miranda rights. Benson’s statements on September 23 occurred in an interview with Det. Ryan Davis on the report that his pickup had been stolen. Davis, who had been investigating Womack’s death, had evidence contradicting Benson’s claim that his pickup had been stolen and had evidence that indicated Benson was a party with knowledge of the shooting. While Benson waived his rights following Davis’ reading of a Miranda notice, Benson argued such waiver was not knowingly and freely given. At a hearing on the motion, Negrete testified he was working patrol in his police uniform on September 20, 2017, and responded to a call concerning an individual wishing to report a stolen vehicle. Negrete first spoke to Sgt. Michael Ratliff of the homicide division, who gave him the assignment. Negrete - 954 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 305 Nebraska Reports STATE v. BENSON Cite as 305 Neb. 949 testified that it was not typical on a day-to-day basis to get assignments from the homicide unit. Ratliff told Negrete that he wanted him to take the report from the vehicle’s owner, advised that the “vehicle may have been involved in a homicide,” and mentioned Benson’s name. Ratliff talked to Negrete about Negrete’s body camera recording of his interaction with Benson. Ratliff’s call with Negrete lasted about 3 minutes and occurred about 15 minutes prior to Negrete’s receiving another call from dispatch about taking the report on the stolen vehicle. When Negrete arrived at Benson’s apartment, he met Benson in the parking lot. Negrete asked for Benson’s name and proof of identification, but Benson did not have his identification, so he turned to get it from his apartment. Before Benson could go to his apartment, however, Negrete continued to ask him questions and get the information about the stolen vehicle while the parties were in the parking lot. Benson reported that at about 2 to 3 a.m. on September 17, 2017, he was visiting someone’s residence and went outside to find his pickup was missing. After taking most of the information for the report, Negrete returned to his patrol vehicle, and Benson went to his apartment, where he located his identification and then provided it to Negrete. Det. Derek Mois testified that he works on a team within the homicide division led by Ratliff and in which Davis was a member. This team was assigned the Womack homicide, and Davis was its lead detective. Mois explained that through initial investigation, the Department had acquired and released to the public details and photographs of a potential suspect’s vehicle. Pursuant to calls from the public describing the location of a pickup matching the released information, officers were able to locate a pickup matching the description and observed particular identifiers known by the Department. This pickup was registered to Benson and to Jefferson, and Mois explained that Davis obtained a search warrant to collect and process it. The processing of the pickup revealed items - 955 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 305 Nebraska Reports STATE v. BENSON Cite as 305 Neb. 949 including shell casings and a September 18, 2017, receipt from a Hy-Vee grocery store on 96th and Q Streets in Omaha, Nebraska. Mois testified that he conducted followup with Hy-Vee employees and watched Hy-Vee’s video surveillance, which showed Benson with his pickup at around 2 p.m., about 3 hours before Womack was shot. Mois testified that on September 20, 2017, he fielded a call from a man identifying himself as the owner of the pickup which had been seized the day before. The man was concerned about reports that the pickup had been used in connection with a crime and wanted to report it as stolen. Mois told the man that if he had not been in possession of the pickup and believed it was stolen, he first needed to call the 911 emergency dispatch service to issue a report. The parties did not discuss the matter further, and Mois informed Ratliff of the call once he hung up. Mois explained that at the time of the call, the team only had reason to believe the pickup was potentially involved in a crime and had no other reasons to suspect that Benson, as the owner of the pickup, was himself involved. Mois described that he was in his Department office on September 23, 2017, when Davis interviewed Benson concerning the pickup and the evidence conflicting with the report Benson gave to Negrete. At that point, Mois explained, investigators suspected Benson’s participation in Womack’s homicide due to the identification of his pickup, evidence found in the search of the pickup, and evidence contradicting Benson’s report that his pickup was stolen. Mois testified that the interview was conducted on the fourth floor of Department headquarters in a homicide interview room. Mois had been in and out of a conference room where detectives could listen in on the interview, and he later reviewed a recording of the interview. Mois explained that Davis read Benson his Miranda rights and that Benson waived his rights and agreed to speak. Davis initially asked Benson for details surrounding the theft of his pickup, and Benson’s answers did not vary substantively from - 956 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 305 Nebraska Reports STATE v. BENSON Cite as 305 Neb. 949 the report he gave Negrete. After this initial questioning, Davis left the room for around 90 seconds, and when he returned, Mois described that the questioning changed. For about the next 11⁄2 hours, Davis confronted Benson about evidence which contradicted his report and repeatedly brought up the evidence that showed Benson with the pickup at Hy-Vee after the time he reported the pickup had been stolen. Benson was arrested after the interview once Davis had an opportunity to confer with Ratliff and possibly the county attorney’s office. Davis also testified concerning Benson’s interview on September 23, 2017. According to Davis, Ratliff had informed him earlier in the day that Benson would be coming in for the interview. Davis’ first interaction with Benson was after he had already been led into the interview room by other law enforcement personnel. Davis explained that he performed a pat-down search, introduced himself, and asked Benson identifying information. At this point, Davis read Benson his Miranda rights and Benson waived those rights and agreed to speak with Davis. For around the first 45 minutes, Davis and Benson discussed Benson’s report. However, Davis was aware of Benson’s previous statements to Negrete and the evidence contradicting his allegations and the timeline. Davis left the interview room briefly, and when he returned, his questioning shifted to confronting and questioning Benson about the contradictions, including the evidence about his presence at Hy-Vee with the pickup after he alleged that it had been stolen. Davis explained that this shift in questioning was because he first wanted to give Benson an opportunity to provide clarifying information that explained the contradictions. After the interview, Benson was arrested. Following the hearing, the district court denied Benson’s motion. The court found Benson’s September 20, 2017, statements to Negrete were admissible because Benson was not in custody when Negrete was taking his report and, as such, Benson was not required to make a knowing and voluntary waiver of his Miranda rights before he could be questioned. - 957 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 305 Nebraska Reports STATE v. BENSON Cite as 305 Neb. 949 The court also found Benson’s September 23 statements to Davis were admissible because Davis informed Benson of his Miranda rights, Benson waived his rights and agreed to talk to Davis, and there is no requirement that law enforcement officers fully inform a suspect of all the evidence they have before that suspect can make a knowing and voluntary waiver. Motion to Suppress Cell Phone Data Benson filed an additional motion to suppress any and all evidence obtained from the execution of a search warrant of Benson’s cell phone data. Benson argued that the search warrant and application were facially invalid due to their use of an incorrect date and that there was insufficient credible evidence to establish the necessary probable cause. A hearing was held in which Davis testified that on September 20, 2017, he applied for a search warrant for telephone numbers connected to Benson, which was granted. Davis explained that the county attorney’s office notified him in November 2018 that there appeared to be a discrepancy with some of the dates in the search warrant and application. Davis subsequently reviewed the search warrant and observed typographical errors. Davis testified he did not know about the incorrect date at the time of applying, executing, or returning the search warrant. Although Davis filled out the application and search warrant on September 20, 2017, the application and search warrant listed September 18, which is the date of Womack’s homicide, as the date the application and warrant were filled out and signed. Davis explained he used a template created by the Department’s forensic unit and that when he mistakenly put September 18 into the application, the template automatically filled in that date throughout the application and search warrant. The narrative portion of the affidavit in support of the application lists correct dates in the timeline of the offense and - 958 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 305 Nebraska Reports STATE v. BENSON Cite as 305 Neb. 949 investigation, including reference to the September 20, 2017, execution of a different search warrant. Additionally, the order to seal attached to the search warrant and signed by the court was dated September 20, 2017, and the return and inventory filed by Davis described serving the warrant on September 20. A fax cover sheet sent with the application for the cell service carrier to execute the search warrant, a confirmation sheet from the fax machine to confirm the fax was sent, and emailed correspondence with the cell service carrier also listed September 20. Following the hearing, the district court denied Benson’s motion. The court found that there was sufficient evidence to establish probable cause and that the erroneous dates appearing on the application and search warrant were inadvertent errors which did not affect their validity. Motion to Sever Benson filed a motion to sever the charges of second degree murder, use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, and possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person from the two counts of tampering with a juror, witness, or informant. Benson argued that the claimed offenses were not similar in character and that Benson would be prejudiced in the joining of the charges. The district court overruled Benson’s motion. The court found that the counts were properly charged in the second amended information and that joining the tampering charges to the other charges would not prejudice Benson pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. § 29-2002(3) (Reissue 2016). Trial Evidence presented at trial showed that around 4:30 p.m. on September 18, 2017, law enforcement responded to 911 calls regarding a shooting at the intersection of 60th and L Streets in Omaha. Officers observed a man, later identified as Womack, lying on the median near the intersection. Medical personnel arrived, took over Womack’s care, and transported - 959 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 305 Nebraska Reports STATE v. BENSON Cite as 305 Neb. 949 him to a hospital where he later died from his wounds. Officers discovered a spent “5.7 by 28 caliber casing” on the ground at the scene. Officers interviewed witnesses as part of their initial investigation. These witnesses, taken together, indicated that Womack and a tan-colored pickup with two occupants were stopped at a red light. Womack’s semi-truck was in a through lane while the tan-colored pickup was stopped in a left-turn lane. Womack got out of his semi-truck, approached the pickup, hit the pickup’s window with his hand, and said something to the occupants. Womack then turned around and began walking back to his semi-truck, and one of the pickup’s occupants fired a gun which hit Womack twice in the back. The pickup then ran the red light, turned left, and sped off. Law enforcement obtained video recordings from nearby businesses and vehicles at the intersection. From these videos, officers were able to develop a description of the pickup as an older, tan-colored extended-cab model with heavily tinted windows, noticeable damage to the rear quarter panels, and a distinctive rear bumper sticker. The video from a vehicle also allowed officers to confirm that there were two occupants in the pickup, gunshots came from the pickup, and the pickup ran the red light after the shooting. Additionally, this video showed movement of the passenger in the pickup as the shots were being fired. The Department released still images from the videos displaying the pickup to the media for the public’s help in its identification. On September 19, 2017, a Department detective received a telephone call from a special agent who relayed that one of his informants had seen the images of the pickup on the news and believed it belonged to Benson and was parked in a parking lot at 46th and Cass Streets in Omaha. Pursuant to this information, officers, including that detective, went to the parking lot and found a pickup matching the description. The search and processing of the pickup on the morning of September 20, 2017, revealed a Hy-Vee receipt for flowers - 960 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 305 Nebraska Reports STATE v. BENSON Cite as 305 Neb. 949 from the store on 96th and Q Streets on September 18 at 1:06 p.m., two spent casings of the same caliber as the one found at the scene, gunshot residue from various parts of the passenger area, and a receipt from an automobile dealership and the pickup’s registration indicating Benson and Jefferson were its owners. Following up on the Hy-Vee receipt, Mois obtained video from the Hy-Vee store which showed Benson entering and leaving the store, by himself. The video also showed Benson returning to the pickup around 1 p.m. on September 18. Later on September 20, 2017, another detective went to the dealership named on the receipt, where he obtained records for the sale of the pickup, including Benson’s cell phone number. The dealership had a lien on the pickup and had access to a tracking device on it, data from which the dealership provided law enforcement. This tracking device did not constantly record. Instead, it recorded locations during periodic “health check[s]” and whenever the pickup was turned on or off, which the device determined when it detected movement above a certain threshold or stopped moving for a certain period of time. The tracking device recorded that during data entries on September 17 at around 12:43 a.m., 6:44 a.m., and 7:49 p.m., the pickup was parked in the same location. Additionally, the tracking data recorded that the pickup was at the Hy-Vee parking lot on 96th and Q Streets on September 18 at 1 p.m. Benson’s cell phone records provided data which law enforcement was able to use to estimate the locations of his cell phone around the time of Womack’s homicide. These records included a 4:30 p.m. call which put the cell phone around the intersection at 60th and L Streets. At Benson’s direction, Jefferson called law enforcement on September 20, 2017, to report that the pickup had been stolen on September 17. Benson had previously told Jefferson that the pickup was stolen but did not tell her to report it until September 20. Negrete went to their apartment to follow up on - 961 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 305 Nebraska Reports STATE v. BENSON Cite as 305 Neb. 949 the report, and Benson alleged that the pickup was stolen on September 17. During the execution of a search warrant of Benson’s apartment on September 22, 2017, officers discovered clothing that matched what Benson was wearing in the Hy-Vee video. Testing of samples taken from this clothing revealed the presence of gunshot residue. On September 23, 2017, Benson went to Department headquarters and was interviewed by Davis concerning the alleged theft of his truck. After an initial discussion where Davis asked about Benson’s allegations, Davis confronted Benson about the evidence which contradicted his timeline. Benson maintained he was not involved in Womack’s homicide, and at the end of the interview, Benson was arrested. Jefferson testified that she and Benson were in an intimate relationship and that they had children together. Benson, Jefferson, and the children lived together in the apartment, but Benson did not always stay there. Jefferson identified the suspect pickup as Benson’s, explained that Benson had asked her to report it as stolen, and testified that Benson did not stay at the apartment the night of the shooting. Guitron worked with and was also in an intimate relationship with Benson. Guitron testified that Benson bought her flowers on the afternoon of September 18, 2017, and confirmed text messages he sent her, including two from around the time of the shooting that said “just got in2 sum shitt” and that he could not text anything else about it. Law enforcement recorded telephone calls from Benson to Jefferson and Guitron while Benson was in jail. During these calls, Benson told Jefferson and Guitron at different times not to cooperate with the authorities. Marvin Stockdale, who was in jail at the same time as Benson, testified that he and Benson had a conversation while in a holding cell. Stockdale explained that Benson talked with him about his case and said, among other things, that he “‘got rid of the gun after [he] smoked the dude’” and that he - 962 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 305 Nebraska Reports STATE v. BENSON Cite as 305 Neb. 949 was worried about the forensics on the hooded sweatshirt and whether investigators would find gunpowder on it. Additionally, Stormy Figueroa, a friend and coworker of Benson’s, said that she talked with him about the shooting and that Benson said, “‘Well, yeah, I mean, if somebody like that came in my property, then, yeah, I’d shoot him, too.’” Following the presentation of evidence and arguments from the parties, Benson was found guilty and sentenced to 40 to 50 years’ imprisonment for second degree murder, 20 to 25 years’ imprisonment for use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, 5 to 10 years’ imprisonment for possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, and 1 to 2 years’ imprisonment on each count of tampering with a witness. ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR Benson assigns, restated, that the district court erred by (1) failing to suppress Benson’s statements to Negrete on September 20, 2017; (2) failing to suppress Benson’s statements to Davis on September 23; (3) failing to suppress Benson’s cell phone data acquired pursuant to a search warrant issued on September 20; and (4) overruling Benson’s motion to sever the two tampering counts from the initial charges. Benson also assigns there was insufficient evidence to support his convictions.