Q and A with Nikko Jenkins’ prosecutor, Dave Schneider

This week we had the privilege of speaking with Officer and Member of the Homicide Unit, Dave Schneider. Schneider is a Westside graduate and recently prosecuted spree killer Nikko Jenkins. Schneider came to Westside to speak to Brian Nemecek’s Sociology class to give them insight on what he does day to day. 

Q: How does it feel to interrogate someone in a high level case such as Nikko Jenkins?

A: How does it feel? Well it feels rewarding once you get a confession. It’s just like any interrogation, you want a confession so you can get that closure.

Q: How do you go about talking to a serial killer like Nikko?  

A: Well, you go about it the same way no matter who it is. You try to get them to tell their side of the story and give them an opportunity to say what they want. You try to get them to lead you down the path of the truth. And hopefully during the confrontational period, they can understand that either I’m not believing them or whoever the detective is, isn’t believing or buying their story and they’ll come off and be honest. You can try and get a repore or maybe find a theme, but then again, every interview and interrogation is different, so there’s no easy answer to that question.

Q: How long did the process take to prosecute Nikko Jenkins?

A: About 8 hours on that case and that’s not 8 hours continuous. Theres times when he’s taking a bathroom break or we’re meeting in a conference room.

Q: How is this specific case different from any other case you’d work with day to day?

A: Well, I mean it’s high profile. It’s a spree killer who killed 4 people in about a 10 day span. It’s better for the community when we can get him off the street as soon as possible. We actually arrested him on a terroristic threat charge on another woman who he was dating at the time.

Q: How does being a Westside grad prepare you for what you do everyday?

A: The Westside education comes in handy everyday when I write search warrants and reports. Westside led me onto a college degree in geography which I use almost all the time as far as addresses and phone records.