State court denies Keonna Carter’s appeal

    Keonna Carter has lost her effort to appeal the sentences she received in November 2022 in Chase County District Court.
    The Nebraska Court of Appeals earlier this year affirmed the Nov. 18, 2022 District Court sentence, writing, “There was no abuse of discretion by the trial court.”
    Carter received a sentence of 40-50 years for first degree assault and another 30-36 months on for kidnapping from District Judge Patrick Heng.
    Her first degree assault charge was related to Annika Swanson’s November 2019 death. The kidnapping charge involved Eve Ambrosek.
    Twelve days after Carter was sentenced, her attorney Robert Lindemeier of North Platte filed the Notice of Appeal.
    At Carter’s sentencing last November, Judge Heng said the plea deal she agreed to reduced her charges from murder to 1st degree assault and from two kidnapping charges to one. Carter testified against Kevin German at his trial last summer.
    Judge Heng acknowledged her cooperation with authorities at the sentencing, but in the end sided with the state’s prosecuting attorney Doug Warner, who said her involvement in both the assault and kidnapping was “substantial.”
    German, who was convicted in February of 2nd degree murder and two kidnapping charges, has also filed an appeal. He is being represented by a court-appointed attorney.
    He received life in prison for the Class IA kidnapping charge, 60-80 years for 2nd degree murder and 30-60 months on the Class IIIA kidnapping charge.