State v. Rhodes

The defendant was convicted of second degree murder in the death of Fokke Snoeijer. The body of Snoeijer was discovered in a field south of Paxton in Keith County, Nebraska, on May 23, 1972. An autopsy disclosed his death had been caused by a gunshot wound approximately 2 inches behind and a little above his left ear. It appeared to be a “contact wound” in which the muzzle of the gun had been held against the skin. There was also an injury to the left side of the face. The back four upper teeth were broken and there was a fracture of the upper jaw.

Snoeijer was 21 years of age and a resident…