Opening Milke trial testimony details police rescue call

BEATRICE – Witness testimony began Wednesday in the trial of 53-year-old Christopher Milke, charged with the shooting death of his companion, 53-year-old Tammy Leslie.

Prosecutor, Gage County Attorney Amanda Fanning said the evidence will show Christopher Milke killed Leslie with two shots to her head and one to her arm.

"You will have an opportunity here to hear from Madyson and Jack Milke, directly. They will recount their personal experiences from that night that the defendant shot and killed their mother. And the early morning hours, how he continued to terrorize them by screwing them shut inside the house....taking away their cellphones and electronic devices.....telling them not to contact anyone....while their mother lay dead, in a pool of her own blood."

One of Milke’s lawyers, David Tarrell, urged the six-man, six-woman Gage County District Court jury to listen closely to the testimony.

"What I'm asking you to do is be patient......keep an open mind...remember there are two sides to every story, and only one has been told. The government is going to tell their side of the story first....again. And then, you're going to understand the rest of the story.....hear the rest of the story."

Christopher Milke is charged with first-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony, two counts of kidnapping and tampering with evidence.

Opening testimony included the dramatic audio of a nine-one-one call where the Southeast Nebraska Dispatch Center, Beatrice Police and one of the defendant’s children helped devise a plan to enable two children to escape their Hillcrest Avenue Home. The mother of the girl's former boyfriend had called police, to do a welfare check.

Dispatcher Fred Naumann remained in communication with 19-year-old Madyson Milke early the morning of September 8th, while a plot was hatched with police officers to breach the front door of the home and rescue Madyson and her brother, 12-year-old Jack.

"Here's what the officers are wanting to do, Madyson, okay (Okay)....When you go upstairs and wake your brother up...and you go to the door....it'll be the front door....what you'll do is, you'll unlock the door and turn that handle on the door, right? (Yeah}....and they're going to push it and it's going to come right open for you. And, the officers will be right there...and they'll take you and your brother and you just go with them.....and they'll be going really fast, that's the way they do things, okay?.....(Okay)"

The emergency call audio depicted a calm Naumann on the phone with the 19-year-old for nearly an hour and a half beginning at around 4:40 a.m., saying “you’re doing great…we’re going to get you and your brother out of there.”
 
And then, at around 6:18 a.m., while Christopher Milke was in the home’s bedroom, officers rushed in.

"Oh, my God.....(screams)....you're okay.....you're outside"

A police SWAT team safely removed Madyson Milke….who had been in the basement of the home….and Jack Milke….who had been in the upstairs living room.  Both the front and rear doors to the home had been nailed shut.

The trial in Gage County District Court could last through next week. Around 25 witnesses could be called to testify.