Lexington man convicted as accessory in Kearney shooting death

KEARNEY, Neb. (KSNB) - A Lexington man will be sentenced next month for a conviction related to a January 2022 Kearney murder case.

Court records show 29-year-old Joseph Garcia stands convicted of accessory to a felony as part of a plea bargain. In exchange for a no contest plea on the accessory charge, prosecutors dropped a felony robbery charge. Court records also show prosecutors would not object to a prison sentence of four to eight years.

Garcia is scheduled to be sentenced April 7.

Garcia also faces federal weapons charged in U.S. District Court. A hearing on those charges is pending.

Garcia is one of five people who have been charged or sentenced in connection with the January 2022 murder of 31-year-old Jared M. Shinpaugh of Lexington.

So far no-one’s been arrested for Shinpaugh’s murder. Police are still attempting to locate 24-year-old Romeo Chambers after a felony arrest warrant was issued in March 2022 for multiple charges including second-degree murder.

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