OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A man who went into prison for an Omaha murder when he was 17 has been given a new sentence and a chance at freedom.

A Douglas County district judge on Tuesday resentenced 51-year-old Dwayne Tucker to 50 to 70 years, with credit for nearly 33 years and eight months. Under the state’s “good time” law, he could be released in around 15 months.

Authorities say Tucker and his 21-year-old half brother, Willie Tucker, robbed a restaurant in December 1981. Willie Tucker fatally shot the cashier, 18-year-old Lisa Lisko. Dwayne Tucker also was given life in prison without parole, because he participated in the deadly robbery.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that people convicted as juveniles cannot be locked up for life without the chance of parole.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 23-year-old Lincoln man has been sentenced to 30 months to five years in prison for fracturing his 3-week-old son’s skull.

Koty Buesing was sentenced Tuesday. He had pleaded guilty to negligent child abuse resulting in serious injury.

According to authorities, the child’s mother noticed swelling on the left side of his head on Dec. 19. Authorities say Buesing told her he had accidentally hit the baby’s head under the kitchen table when he picked him up off the floor while making him a bottle.

Police say the parents took the child for a checkup on Christmas Eve and were referred to Children’s Hospital in Omaha, where the baby was treated for a skull fracture and bleeding on the brain.

A doctor told investigators the boy’s injuries were suspicious.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Attorneys for a Nebraska death row inmate say the state’s recent struggle over capital punishment has raised new legal questions that they need to explore, while a state attorney says the prisoner has exhausted all options except for clemency.

Attorneys for John Lotter said Tuesday that new questions surfaced after the Legislature’s vote to abolish capital punishment, the subsequent ballot measure to reinstate it and the governor’s efforts to obtain lethal injection drugs. Lawyers for both sides convened at the federal courthouse in Lincoln.

Lotter was sentenced to death for his role in the 1993 slaying of Teena Brandon, a 21-year-old woman who lived briefly as a man, and two witnesses, Lisa Lambert and Philip DeVine, at a rural Humboldt farmhouse. The crime inspired the 1999 movie “Boys Don’t Cry.”

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska man convicted of killing his girlfriend in 2002 is blaming an antidepressant for his actions and requesting his case be re-examined by a judge.

Randall Robbins pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Brittany Eurek and was sentenced to 40 to 60 years in prison.

Robbins claims the antidepressant Zoloft, which was prescribed to him in 2002, played a key role in what was supposed to be a murder-suicide.

Robbins’ attorney says DNA testing conducted this year shows genetics prevents Robbins from metabolizing Zoloft as intended by its manufacturer. His attorney says that can lead to violent outbursts and suicidal behavior, something the federal government warned of in 2007.

Briefs are expected to be submitted soon.

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — A 27-year-old man is scheduled to be sentenced in November after taking a plea deal in the knifing of a friend.

Rusty Skarin pleaded no contest last week and was convicted of attempted assault. Prosecutors had lowered the charge and dropped another in exchange for Skarin’s plea. His sentencing is set for Nov. 10.

Investigators say Skarin argued with Jeffrey Kort on May 10 while they were driving home after working on a car together. Kort told an Adams County sheriff’s deputy that he made Skarin get out of his vehicle but then returned to the scene a short time later. Kort says he and Skarin began fighting again, and Skarin stabbed him.

Skarin says Kort choked him during their fight.

 

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A man has pleaded not guilty in the kidnapping and stabbing of his ex-girlfriend in Omaha.

23-year-old Dylan Doebelin pleaded not guilty to several charges including kidnapping, attempted first-degree murder and stalking Monday. According to prosecutors, Doebelin kidnapped his ex-girlfriend from her job at a daycare, beat her and stabbed her on July 7.

Authorities say good Samaritans saved the woman when Doebelin stopped his car and the woman jumped out of the vehicle.

Doebelin’s trial has been scheduled for Dec. 15.

PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — A 62-year-old pastor accused of inappropriately touching a 14-year-old girl in an Omaha suburb has been sentenced to 180 days in jail.

Court records say Clifton Wells, of Papillion, was sentenced on Monday in Sarpy County District Court. Wells had pleaded no contest and was convicted of a misdemeanor. Prosecutors lowered the charge from felony sexual assault of a child in exchange for Wells’ plea.

Prosecutors say Wells inappropriately touched the girl several times in July 2014 when he gave the girl a ride to pick up a job application. Wells told investigators he’d been counseling the girl about her misbehavior at school, and he denied that any sexual assault occurred.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police say a department cruiser has received substantial damage following a collision with two other vehicles.

Police say the unoccupied cruiser had emergency lights on while it was stopped along Interstate 80 on Monday morning. Officers were at the scene to respond to a hit-and-run.

At some point the cruiser was struck on the right rear corner by a car driven by a 21-year-old Iowa woman. The impact forced the cruiser to hit an unoccupied vehicle that was involved in the initial hit-and-run.

The resulting collision injured a 31-year-old man in the left leg. The 21-year-old woman was taken to a local hospital for temporary loss of consciousness and a knee laceration.

DENVER (AP) — Colorado theater shooter James Holmes has been moved to a southern Colorado prison where he is being held in a cell by himself.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Adrienne Jacobson says Holmes is not in maximum security but has fewer privileges and is monitored more closely than other inmates. He will stay at the Colorado State Penitentiary until officials find a suitable facility for him.

A judge last month sentenced Holmes to life in prison without parole after jurors failed to agree he deserved the death penalty. He was convicted of murdering 12 people and trying to kill 70 more in the July 20, 2012 massacre at a crowded movie theater.

Citing safety concerns, officials did not post Holmes’ photo and location on the department’s website, where other inmates’ information is publicly available.