Marquette man sentenced to death of wife

AURORA, Neb. (KSNB) – A Marquette man will spend the rest of his life in prison for assaulting his wife.

Judge Christina Marroquin sentenced 49-year-old Jeffrey Adams to life in prison without parole on Thursday.

After a week-long trial in June, a Hamilton County jury returned with a unanimous decision, finding Adams guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his wife Angela Adams.

This stems from an incident in February 2023.

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office found Angela Adams’ body in a pool of blood in her bedroom with cuts around her eyes and nose. Court records show Jeffrey Adams told investigators he punched Angela after the two had an argument the night before.

Adams was originally charged with first-degree murder, but the prosecutor amended that charge to first-degree murder, arguing that her death was premeditated.

Adams had tried to have his case moved out of Hamilton County, but the court denied that request.

The case ended up before a Saunders County judge after Judge Rachel Daugherty recused herself from the case in September.

District Judge Christina Marroquin of Wahoo presided over the case.

The trial began June 10 in Hamilton County.

The jury listened to evidence and testimony for seven days, including hearing from Jeffrey Adams’ son, who witnessed parts of the altercation the night of Angela’s death.

Jeffrey Adams also took the stand and told the court he did not remember strangling Angela the night she died, but said based on the evidence shown in court it is possible.

His ex-wife also testified about a strangulation incident, which he said in court he did not remember.

The defense argued for manslaughter, saying Jeffrey “lost his cool,” while the prosecution relied on the testimony of people close to the couple, along with her autopsy. The prosecutor called this case the face of domestic violence.

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