Aubrey Trail’s death-penalty hearing set for June

SALINE COUNTY, Neb. (WOWT) - The sentencing hearing for Aubrey Trail, convicted in 2019 of murdering 24-year-old Sydney Loofe in 2017, has been set for June.

The sentencing notice filed Thursday in the state’s district court in Saline County states that the hearing will take place at 10 a.m. June 9. The hearing will determine whether Trail receives a life sentence or the death penalty.

Trail was initially scheduled for sentencing in June 2020 but was delayed until December 2020. His hearing on aggravating circumstances, in accordance with Nebraska law, took place in March of this year.

Thursday’s notice orders Trail to be transported to the Saline County Courthouse to appear before the three-judge panel comprised of Judges Vicky L. Johnson, Susan I. Strong, and Michael A. Smith. Trail was not present at the March hearing after waiving his right to appear.

Trail was found guilty of first-degree murder in July 2019 for killing Loofe in November 2017. His co-defendant, Bailey Boswell, was also found guilty of first-degree murder in October 2020. Loofe’s body parts were found in 14 pieces in ditches along a state highway, weeks after her disappearance.

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The Associated Press and KOLN contributed to this report.