‘I’m just in disbelief’: Stromsburg woman’s friend devastated by news of potential murder

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – One of Hannah Neville’s friends spoke out on Monday after police announced her potential death.

Lincoln Police said 26-year-old Neville and her husband, 27-year-old Roberto Tanner, were likely murdered.

SEE MORE: Lincoln Police investigating missing Stromsburg couple as homicide; two arrested in connection

The couple was reported missing last week. Authorities have taken Tanner’s half-brother, Sterling James, into custody on two charges of first-degree murder.

Destiny Hewitt, a close friend of Neville, said the news came as a shock.

“I’m just in disbelief because you don’t expect that to happen to people you know,” she said.

When people were looking for Neville, Hewitt texted her to ask if she could let someone know that she was OK.

But she never heard back.

“A couple more days went by, and I was like, ‘OK, this is definitely not right,'” Hewitt said.

She felt even more uneasy when she heard that Neville’s car had been found burned.

But she still held out hope that her friend would be found. She thought maybe Neville and Tanner were keeping to themselves and focusing on preparing for their baby.

But on Monday, the news broke that they were believed to be dead.

“The best way to explain the feeling is that I honestly physically felt my heart move to my stomach,” Hewitt said. “And my stomach has been heavy since.”

She said this has brought back memories of Neville.

“The last time I hung out with her, we hung out on my couch all day long, watching movies,” she said.

Hewitt said Neville was selfless, the kind of person to give the shirt off her back even for a stranger.

She also said Neville had been praying for a child, and she was excited to be a mom. She was 32 weeks pregnant.

“I can see her smile right now, holding that baby,” Hewitt said. “She’s dancing with Jesus, that’s for sure.”

Hewitt wants to find a way to keep Neville’s memory alive.

“This isn’t right,” she said. “She didn’t deserve that. She was a good person, and she deserves to be remembered.”