Man pleads guilty in Lincoln’s woman’s death during robbery

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - An Omaha man pleaded guilty Friday to being involved in a robbery that led to the shooting death of a Lincoln woman.

Dante Williams, 27, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting and two robbery charges for his involvement in a robbery on July 31, 2018, and another attempted robbery the day before, The Lincoln Journal-Star reported.

Prosecutors said Williams, his older brother and another man broke into a Lincoln home in the early morning intending to steal a marijuana stash. Four children and three adults were in the house at the time.

At Friday’s hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods said when the men broke in, they woke the children, tied them up and covered their mouths.

One of the suspects encountered Jessica Brandon in a stairwell and shot her, Woods said. She died later at a Lincoln hospital.

Williams was at the scene but did not have a gun, his attorney said Friday.

The other two suspects - Williams’ older brother, Damon, and Tawhyne Patterson Sr., are charged with murder and the attempted robberies. Their federal trial is scheduled for next week.