Three Omaha men accused of beating a wheelchair-bound man to death earlier this year accepted plea deals Wednesday and were found guilty on various felony charges.
Justin Thornley
The body of 68-year-old Gary Lew was found in a ditch near Denton, Nebraska, on April 11. Four people were arrested: his only child, 37-year-old Christina Thornley; her husband, 39-year-old Justin Thornley; his cousin, 37-year-old Jacob Thornley; and a family friend, 26-year-old Braden Bongers.
Jacob Thornley
On Wednesday, three of the four people charged in his killing accepted plea deals with prosecutors and pleaded no contest to reduced charges. Justin Thornley and Jacob Thornley, who were initially charged with second-degree murder, were found guilty of manslaughter. They also were found guilty of abuse of a vulnerable adult, false imprisonment, evidence tampering and criminal conspiracy.
Bongers
Bongers, initially charged with first-degree assault, was found guilty on a reduced charge of attempted assault. Christina Thornley, Lew’s daughter, did not change her plea and is still slated to go to trial. She faces charges of being an accessory to murder and evidence tampering, and will be back in court later this month.
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C. Thornley
According to testimony from detectives at a preliminary hearing for the four defendants in May, Lew was fatally beaten March 3 in the basement of his own home after he attempted to “swipe at” Christina Thornley and Justin Thornley’s 9-year-old daughter. Justin Thornley slammed Lew into the ground and began beating him.
At some point during the assault, Bongers and Jacob Thornley joined in and kicked Lew in the head and ribs. Bongers also poured water on Lew and poked him with a broom, according to testimony.
Lew had multiple medical conditions, including dementia and spina bifida, and he was confined to a wheelchair. Two young children were in the basement as the assault occurred.
Christina Thornley told police that she was sleeping upstairs when she heard a “disturbance,” prompting her to go to the basement. She said she “tried to protest,” and the beating stopped shortly after she came downstairs.
According to Christina Thornley, Lew remained alive for a few days after the initial assault. She told police that she brought him food and water until she came downstairs and noticed that he was cold to the touch and bleeding from the ears.
On March 8, Christina Thornley, Jacob Thornley and Justin Thornley put Lew’s body into the trunk of his own car, drove to a remote part of Lancaster County and rolled his body into a ditch.
After Lew’s body was found April 11 and identified April 13, authorities went to Lew’s west Omaha home to speak with his daughter. Christina Thornley told officers that Lew was sick and couldn’t come to the door — raising suspicions, as officers already knew he was dead.
When authorities returned to the home with a search warrant, they found a scene of “absolute filth.” Blood splatter was noted on the walls and floors in the basement, as well as on Lew’s wheelchair.
Jacob Thornley, Justin Thornley and Bongers will be sentenced Nov. 29. Bongers faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, while the two others face a maximum of 30 years.
What you missed this week in notable Omaha crimes and court cases
Last week's local crime and court updates from The World-Herald.
A 16-year-old boy died and seven others went to local hospitals for treatment early Sunday following two shooting incidents in North Omaha.
A Texas man is in jail in Lincoln after he accidentally shot his 12-year-old grandson Saturday at a wedding in Lancaster County, deputies alleged. The boy's injuries aren't life-threatening.
The 16-year-old boy shot and killed early Sunday morning was a junior at Burke High School, according to a statement from the school district.
Two Tecumseh State Prison staff members were seriously injured when an inmate allegedly struck them in the face with his head.
A car crashed into a haunted house in an 84th Street parking lot that has become notorious for noisy car gatherings.
Cindy Valle was 15 years old when she was last seen on Aug. 25, 2011. She is described as having black hair and brown eyes. She had a mole by her right eye and a mole on her chin.
Multiple Omaha police officers fired at a man suspected of pulling a gun on someone Tuesday night, injuring him.
An Omaha man was sentenced to five years of probation for taking a gun from his friend, who is charged with murder, following a shooting at a birthday party last year.
A Nebraska judge has sentenced a Florida man to prison for his role marketing a $55 million internet fraud that conned more than 10,000 people.
An Omaha man was found guilty Wednesday of four felonies for firing multiple shots into a birthday party from a nearby parking lot.
The man who was shot Tuesday by Omaha police officers is expected to survive multiple gunshot wounds as an investigation continues.
Jose Cabrera-Lomeli was sentenced to serve at least 160 years in prison. Ademir Estrada-Pena was sentenced to serve between 40 to 60 years in prison.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man and a woman in connection with a reported theft of a trailer that contained construction equipment near Elkhorn.
A 19-year-old woman was killed in a shooting Wednesday night in North Omaha.
A 28-year-old Omaha man was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory to murder and fleeing from police after a Wednesday night shooting that left a 19-year-old woman dead.
A man has been arrested and charged in connection with a shooting that injured two people early Sunday morning in North Omaha.
The former director of a Sarpy County nonprofit dedicated to helping kids and families in the juvenile justice system was sentenced to six months in federal prison after she admitted to defrauding the organization over a period of three years.
A 27-year-old inmate at the Tecumseh State Prison is dead after he and four others intentionally set fires in their cells Thursday night, according to the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.
The Omaha Police Department has identified the four officers who fired at a 39-year-old Patrick Wright Tuesday night, striking him multiple times.
An Omaha man accused of being the getaway driver in a fatal shooting Wednesday night has been charged with first-degree murder and ordered to be held without bail.
Omaha police arrested a 29-year-old man Saturday morning after a pursuit involving an ambulance stolen from Council Bluffs.
