Bernard Leonard

Friends remembered Bernard Leonard as a good person you could count on, someone who would give you the shirt off his back to help you out. Mr. Leonard, a 59-year-old White man from Omaha, Nebraska, was found dead on the evening of May 17, 2024, in what was first believed to be a traffic accident.

Just before 8 p.m. that Friday, police were called to the area of 9th Street and Carter Lake Boulevard for a report of a person down next to a motorcycle. First responders found Bernard Leonard unresponsive at the scene. Upon further investigation, however, they discovered that he had suffered a gunshot wound, and the case was reclassified as a homicide.

The Omaha Police Homicide Unit began an extensive investigation. Prosecutors later said that detectives used surveillance video and cell phone location data to trace a suspect. The evidence allegedly linked the suspect to a stolen car that was seen on surveillance footage being set on fire in Hummel Park. On June 7, 2024, police arrested 27-year-old Brandon Mikesh in connection with the killing.

Mikesh was initially charged with first-degree murder, use of a weapon to commit a felony, being a felon in possession of a firearm, tampering with evidence, and third-degree arson. He was held without bond as his case proceeded to the District Court of Douglas County for trial.

In December 2025, a jury found Brandon Mikesh, then 29, guilty of second-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, tampering with evidence, and theft by receiving stolen property. On February 10, 2026, a judge sentenced Mikesh to serve 90 to 125 years in prison. He will be eligible for parole after 49 years.