Man in prison for assault arrested in 2015 Omaha homicides

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 35-year-old man who was already sentenced to more than 145 years in prison for a different crime has been arrested in connection with two Omaha homicides that took place in 2015.

Omaha Police said Cavin Cooper has been arrested on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder and several weapons charges in the 2015 deaths of cousins Diondre Mitchell and Lafayette Reed.

Mitchell and Reed were shot and killed in the kitchen of a home in May 2015 during a gathering with several other people.

“I hope the arrest in the double homicide from 2015 provides some closure for the families. Homicide cases, no matter how old, will always receive our greatest attention,” Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said in a statement.

Cooper is already incarcerated for a 2018 assault when he was also convicted of weapons charges and being a habitual criminal. Prison records show that he was sentenced to between 145 and 170 years in that case.