Marshall Washington Jr.

Marshall "Mickey" Washington Jr. should have been celebrating his 49th birthday on July 7, 2016. Instead, the day ended in tragedy for the Omaha, Nebraska man, who was remembered by his family as a father, grandfather, and uncle. Mr. Washington, a 49-year-old Black male, became the victim of a fatal shooting that evening.

Around 6 p.m., police responded to a call about a shooting near 30th and Read streets. When they arrived, they found Mr. Washington suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Nebraska Medicine, where he later died. According to prosecutors, the man who shot him had been firing at his own uncle over a drug debt.

The homicide investigation led police to identify a suspect in the killing. The man, Jeffrey Loving, was arrested and charged in connection with Mr. Washington's death. The case proceeded to trial, where a jury considered the evidence presented by the prosecution.

The jury found Loving guilty of second-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony. On January 16, 2018, a judge sentenced Loving, then 33 years old, to a total of 110 to 130 years in prison. The sentence consisted of 80 to 90 years for the murder charge and a consecutive term of 30 to 40 years for the weapons crime. Loving's subsequent request for a new trial was denied. The case was officially closed as of January 2018.