On a tragic autumn day, 42-year-old Jo Mausbach was one of five people killed during a violent bank robbery in Norfolk, Nebraska. On September 26, 2002, three men entered the U.S. Bank branch where Mausbach worked and, in less than a minute, fatally shot her, three of her colleagues, and a customer. The other victims were identified as bank employees Lola Elwood, 43, Lisa Bryant, 29, and Samuel Sun, 50, along with customer Evonne Tuttle, 37.
The brutal and swift nature of the crime sent shockwaves through the community. The investigation quickly led law enforcement to four suspects. Three of the men, Jose Sandoval, Jorge Galindo, and Erick Vela, were identified as the gunmen who entered the bank. The fourth, Gabriel Rodriguez, was determined to be the getaway driver. Within hours of the robbery and murders, Sandoval, Galindo, and Vela were apprehended. Rodriguez was arrested later that same day. All four men were in their early twenties at the time of the crime.
The legal proceedings that followed brought the details of the heinous crime to light. All four men were charged with five counts of first-degree murder. Ultimately, Jose Sandoval, Jorge Galindo, and Erick Vela were convicted for their roles in the killings and were sentenced to death. Gabriel Rodriguez, the getaway driver, received multiple life sentences. As of 2025, Sandoval, Galindo, and Vela remained on death row.
