A North Omaha murder case from August is now headed to district court for trial, after the man charged in the killing, Diontrey Rodgers, appeared in court Friday morning. Rodgers faces charges including first-degree murder in the death of 34-year-old Lashawn Lessley Jr., who was found shot multiple times near 28th and Titus streets on Aug. 16.
Prosecutors said Lessley was shot multiple times near 28th and Titus streets, according to WOWT. Court records show the 32-year-old Rodgers was booked into the Douglas County Jail after a weeks-long investigation into the shooting, as previously reported by WOWT. Officers had found Lessley shot multiple times in the torso near 28th and Titus just after midnight on Aug. 16, and he later died at Nebraska Medical Center, per the same report.
Premeditation Alleged in Charging Decision
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said prosecutors pursued the first-degree murder charge because they believe the killing was premeditated and intentional. “We've charged premeditated and intentional killing of Lashawn Leslie,” Kleine said, per the station's earlier report. A separate account from KETV lists Rodgers as charged with first-degree murder, use of a weapon to commit a felony, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, while WOWT's reporting has referenced the first-degree murder charge without detailing the additional counts.
The arrest affidavit in the case remains sealed, with investigators saying the move is meant to protect witness credibility while their work continues, the outlet reported. Rodgers was ordered held without bond following his arrest, with a hearing then set for Friday. That appearance is distinct from an earlier court date in September, when Rodgers appeared on a misdemeanor theft-of-services charge rather than the homicide case.
One of Several Omaha Homicide Cases Moving Through Court
The arrest in Lessley's case left the Omaha Police Department with just one unsolved homicide among 10 recorded in the city this year, according to the North Platte Telegraph. The city's overall homicide numbers have trended downward in recent years; the Omaha Police Department reported 26 homicides in 2025, well below the city's historical average and down sharply from the 50 homicides recorded in 2015.
Other recent Omaha murder cases have also been working their way through the courts. Dheal Duany, 21, was arrested in August after a traffic stop near 46th and Redman Avenue and booked on a first-degree murder charge, according to KETV, in a case tied to the death of 18-year-old Joseph Baha, who was found with apparent gunshot wounds in the driver's seat of a Toyota Camry near North 48th and Seward streets. In a related case, 14-year-old Carl Peak was charged as an adult, waived his preliminary hearing, and is now headed to district court for trial on multiple felony charges, including robbery and use of a weapon to commit a felony, the outlet reported.
What Nebraska Law Requires for the Charge
Under Nebraska law, a first-degree murder conviction can rest on a premeditated killing or on a killing committed during certain other felonies, according to the Nebraska Legislature. The statute also notes that a defendant does not need to be separately charged with or convicted of an underlying felony to be convicted under that provision. It remains unclear what specifically occurred at Rodgers's Friday hearing, including whether the case was formally bound over or whether a trial date has been set.
