Bailey Boswell gets life in prison for killing of Syndey Loofe

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Bailey Boswell, convicted killer of 24-year-old Sydney Loofe, will serve life in prison and will not receive the death penalty.

The decision was announced by a three-judge panel in a Saline County Courtroom on Monday.

Boswell was found guilty in the killing of Loofe after a three-week-long jury trial held in Lexington, Nebraska last fall.

Jurors told reporters following Boswell's guilty verdict that they know this verdict won't... — Jurors told reporters following Boswell's guilty verdict that they know this verdict won't bring Loofe back, but they hope it helps her family find peace.(KOLN)

Three judges, Judge Vicky Johnson, Judge Darla S. Ideus and Judge Peter C. Bataillon have been weighing the prosecution and defense’s testimony since Boswell’s three-judge panel a few months ago.

Bataillon dissented from the other two judges, saying the case was not strong enough that the killing manifested exceptional depravity.

The decision needed to be unanimous.

Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson released the following statement:

“Throughout the criminal justice process, Sydney’s family has persevered with dignity. With the criminal cases coming to a close and the anniversary of her death approaching, our thoughts are with the Loofe family during this difficult time. ”We appreciate the very challenging work performed by the jury in this matter. I also want to thank all of the important law enforcement agencies that collaborated in developing the evidence necessary to result in this murder conviction and sentence.”

The prosecution said Boswell, along with co-conspirator Aubrey Trail who has already been sentenced to death, met Loofe on Tinder in November 2017.

They said Trail and Boswell then took Loofe back to their Wilber apartment and strangled her. Loofe’s body was found dismembered in Clay County in December 2017.

During Boswell’s three-judge panel, Boswell’s mother, grandmother and step-father plead for their daughter’s life.,

“I don’t think she deserves to die,” Priscilla Boswell said. “Her daughter loves us and so do the rest of us.”

Boswell spoke too, apologizing to the Loofe family.

Loofe, was just 24 when she was killed. The autopsy showed she was strangled. Loofe, originally from Neligh was working as a cashier at Menards at the time of her murder.