The woman convicted of murder for her role in the death and dismemberment of a Lincoln hardware store clerk 4-year ago has been sentenced to life in prison.
27-year old Bailey Boswell was convicted of murder and kidnapping in the death of 24-year old Sidney Loofe with her sentence to be determined unanimously by a pane of three district judges.
Judges Vicky Johnson, Darla Ideus, and Peter Bataillon took testimony and evidence at a hearing a few months ago, then returned Monday to issue their sentence.
Johnson and Ideus voted for the death penalty, but Bataillon disagreed – saying the case wasn’t strong enough to show the killing “manifested exceptional depravity.”
Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson issued a statement saying he appreciates the “very challenging work performed by the jury,” and thanks all the law enforcement agencies that collaborated in developing the evidence to get the conviction
Boswell’s boyfriend, 55-year old Aubrey Trail, was also convicted of murder and kidnapping in Loofe’s death, but his 3-judge panel voted for execution and he is currently on Nebraska’s Death Row.
Prosecutors say Boswell and Trail had been planning to kill someone and used social media to pick Loofe. Boswell set up a date with Loofe, who wasn’t seen again.
Authorities later determined she was strangled and her body cut into 14 parts that were put into garbage bags and left along country roads.
At Boswell’s hearing, her mother, grandmother, and stepfather all pleaded for her life, saying they didn’t think she deserved to die. Boswell spoke too, apologizing to the Loofe family.