Woman Sentenced for Role in Bancroft Murder

WEST POINT, Neb. (AP) — A northeast Nebraska woman has been sentenced to two years in prison for her role in the death of a Rosalie man.

32-year-old Jenna Merrill, of Oakland, Nebraska, was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty in November to one count of being an accessory. Investigators say she gave false information to authorities investigating the 2017 death of 64-year-old Ernest Warnock, whose body was found in the burned rubble of his home.

Prosecutors say Warnock was stabbed to death after a father and son went to his home to retrieve property belonging to Becky Weitzenkamp and a fight broke out.

The father, Jody Olson, has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. His son, Derek Olson, is also charged with second-degree murder and other counts.

Weitzenkamp was sentenced in October to 18-20 years on an accessory conviction.

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