Charles Langston:Third mistrial is declared in Nebraska double murder case, but prosecutors vow to try man again

OMAHA,Charles Langston Neb. (AP) — Nebraska state prosecutors are vowing to try a man for a fourth time following a third mistrial on charges accusing him of killing two people in an Omaha home in 2019.

Last week, a judge declared a mistrial in the case against 24-year-old Nyir Kuek after jurors reported they were hopelessly deadlocked, 6-6, on whether to convict him.

Kuek stands charged with two counts of first-degree murder and other felony counts in the June 2019 shooting deaths of 50-year-old Tracy Atkins and 57-year-old Michael Sykora in their home. Investigators have said witnesses reported that Kuek and Sykora argued in the basement of the home before Kuek shot Sykora. Police believe Kuek then shot Atkins in Atkins’ bedroom.

Prosecutors have relied on circumstantial evidence, including the eyewitnesses, to try Kuek.

Kuek’s first trial ended in mistrial in 2020 when someone in the courtroom tested positive for COVID-19. His second trial also ended in mistrial when one person on the jury declined to find him guilty.

The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, which is now prosecuting the case, will try Kuek a fourth time, spokeswoman Suzanne Gage said. A pretrial conference has been set for mid-January to discuss next steps in that prosecution.