Norfolk, Nebraska – Death-row inmate Jorge Galindo has filed a petition in federal court seeking to overturn his convictions and sentence in connection with the U.S. Bank killings that took place in Norfolk in 2002.
This move comes after an unsuccessful attempt to have the Nebraska Supreme Court rehear his case, following a split decision in September that upheld a District Court judge’s ruling denying Galindo post-conviction relief without an evidentiary hearing.
Galindo was sentenced to death five times for his involvement in the U.S. Bank killings, where he, along with Jose Sandoval and Erick Vela, gunned down five people inside a U.S. Bank branch. The three men left the bank empty-handed after the fatal shooting.
After being found guilty at trial, Sandoval and Galindo landed on death row, while Vela pleaded guilty and also received the death penalty. Automatic appeals were filed following the convictions, all of which were rejected.
In 2019, Galindo filed a motion for post-conviction relief, citing claims of prosecutorial misconduct and ineffective assistance of counsel. His attorney, Adam Sipple, argued for a hearing to explore allegations against the county attorney who was involved in a criminal drug ring and allegedly shielded himself by getting participants to testify against Galindo.
The Nebraska Supreme Court, while affirming the denial of an evidentiary hearing, acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations against the county attorney. However, a partial dissent from one of the justices called for an evidentiary hearing given the serious nature of the allegations.
On December 9, a motion was filed to stay the mandate from being issued, while Galindo seeks review of federal questions. Two days later, a 375-page petition for a writ of habeas corpus was filed on Galindo’s behalf, raising 37 claims.
Galindo’s petition now awaits consideration in federal court as he continues to fight his convictions and death sentence in connection with the U.S. Bank killings.