Trenton man sentenced for kidnapping, manslaughter

John R. Leahy of Trenton was sentenced Sept. 18 in Hitchcock County District Court on multiple charges, including kidnapping and manslaughter. The charges against Leahy, 25, resulted from an investigation by the Hitchcock County Sheriff’s Office into the disappearance of Austin Wright of Palisade, 22, who was reported missing on March 9, 2014 by his mother.
    The body of Wright was found by deputies in a small oil well injection site A-frame on April 11, 2014. Hypothermia was the cause of death. According to the investigation, Wright was taken to a remote are in rural Hitchcock county by Leahy and told to get out of Leahy’s vehicle in the late night or early morning hours of March 6 or 7, 2014.
    Wright had been staying at the Leahy residence for several days. Leahy maintained that Wright owed him money and also admitted to punching Wright before taking Wright out into the country. A sweatshirt was wrapped around Wright’s head during the trip in order to confuse Wright so he would not know where he was, according to a news releases from the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office.

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