BEATRICE – A three-judge panel has taken under advisement the sentencing of Aubrey Trail, convicted in the killing and dismembering of Lincoln store clerk Sydney Loofe, whose body parts were found scattered in rural south-central Nebraska.

Arguments for and against the death penalty in the case concluded Thursday, in Saline County District Court. Trail waived his appearance at the hearing in Wilber, which had been scheduled for two days.

The 54-year-old Trail was convicted last July 10^th by a jury, of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Co-defendant Bailey Boswell was also convicted of murder and conspiracy in a separate trial, and also awaits sentencing.

The three-judge panel of District Judges Vicky Johnson, Susan Strong and Michael A. Smith are considering the aggravating and mitigating circumstances in the case.

Trail could receive the death penalty on the murder conviction. The conspiracy conviction carries a sentence of up to fifty years in prison.