Four more people have been arrested in the deaths of a missing Nebraska couple and their unborn child after human remains believed to be theirs were found last week, according to police.
Authorities initially arrested Sterling James24, and his wife, Tithu saidabout a missing person case turned homicide investigation, the Lincoln Police Department said in a Monday, February 2, news release.
James is accused of shooting Hannah Neville26, with her husband, Roberto Tanner27, Lincoln on the evening of January 15 or early morning on January 16, police said. Their unborn baby is believed to have died as a result, according to authorities.
It is said that Titus then helped James in burying the bodies of the couple according to the police.
James is Tanner’s half-brother, KOLN reports.
On Wednesday, February 11, the police announced that two men and two women have been arrested in connection with the death of the couple.
Ammie Mitchell47, Kendall Hawthorne57, Matthew Lickliter,28, and Sheena Miller40, were arrested on charges of murder and tampering with evidence for “assisting Sterling James and Sayde Titus” in connection with the couple’s death, the Lincoln Police Department said.
It was not immediately clear whether Mitchell, Hawthorne, Lickliter and Miller retained legal counsel following their arrests or whether they entered their pleas.
On the day they were arrested, Titus’ attorney asked the judge to lower her bond, arguing that her involvement in the murder was “much less” than her husband, James’s, according to KETV, which did not name Titus’ attorney.
Additional information about Tithu’s attorney, and whether James had retained legal counsel, was not immediately available.
James is charged with murder, while Titus is charged with two counts of aiding and abetting murder, according to police.
On February 5, police announced that they had found human remains in Saunders County “during a search of an area of interest” in their investigation.
“While LPD is awaiting pathology results from human remains found by investigators in Saunders County last week, we currently believe they are those of Hannah and Roberto,” police said on February 11.
Neville was 32 weeks pregnant when she died, reports KETV. Neville is from Stromsburg and was reported missing on January 15 by his neighbor, who was the last to see him alive, according to the police.
That day, Neville had gone to pick up Tanner in Lincoln, where James and Titus live, police said.
An investigation revealed that Neville and Tanner were at Titus’ home before 7:00 p.m. on January 15, before Neville’s cell phone information linked him to the Lincoln residence of Mitchell, Hawthorne, Lickliter and Miller, according to police.
That night, James and Miller “got into James’ car and drove about two kilometers north of the area, with Tanner and Neville following them,” police said.
“Having arrived at the scene, James shot and killed Tanner and Neville,” according to police.
A couple in Kentucky are accused of killing their child after the mother claimed she had a miscarriage, and the lifeless body of the baby was found outside their home. Kentucky State Police announced that Deeann Bennett and Charles Bennett were arrested and taken into custody on Monday, February 9. […]
Miller is accused of helping James move their bodies and transporting Neville’s car, which was later set on fire, police said.
Mitchell allegedly saw Neville’s body after he died and took his belongings from his car, according to police.
Lickliter allegedly saw Neville, along with Tanner, dead and “took a torch” with James before Neville’s car was found on fire, police said.
Hawthorne is accused of giving a friend baby items that were inside Neville’s car, according to police.
“Those goods are believed to contain physical evidence, while others have not yet been found,” said the police.
Mitchell, Hawthorne, Lickliter and Miller are also accused of watching James and Titus clean their car following the couple’s death, according to police.
It is unclear why James is accused of killing Neville and Tanner, as authorities have not released a possible motive.
