Man pleads guilty to killing 2 at Nebraska restaurant

Posted at 3:10 PM, March 8, 2022 and last updated 4:25 PM, July 5, 2023

BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) — A man pleaded guilty Monday to killing two workers and wounding two others at a Nebraska fast-food restaurant.

Roberto Silva Jr. pleaded guilty to all 15 charges related to the Nov. 21, 2020, shooting at a Sonic Drive-in restaurant in the Omaha suburb of Bellevue, the Sarpy County attorney said in a news release.

Roberto Silva Jr. (Sarpy County Jail)

The plea means Silva’s case won’t go to trial but Sarpy County Attorney Lee Polikov said he still plans to seek the death penalty.

Silva faced numerous charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and arson.

He was accused of setting fire to a U-Haul truck that he had driven to the Sonic Drive-in and then entered the restaurant and shot the workers. When officers arrived at the restaurant, they found the U-Haul ablaze and four victims in the business.

Silva was unarmed when he was arrested nearby a short time later and cooperated with officers.

The shooting came days after police arrested Silva outside the restaurant on charges he had used another person’s Sonic app account to buy $57 worth of hamburgers and corn dogs in four separate purchases at the location. Silva paid 10% of his $1,500 bail and was released from jail.