Lincoln man convicted of first-degree murder in 2021 killing of Carly Schaaf

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A man was found guilty Monday of killing a Lincoln woman and dumping her body at a lake.

A jury convicted Joesef Barraza, 28, of Lincoln of first-degree murder in the death of Carly Schaaf, plus three counts of first-degree sexual assault.

Court documents say Schaaf was one of three women he raped.

The verdict came more than four years after Schaaf’s death, and two other people are still awaiting trial in connection with the killing.

SEE ALSO: LPD arrests two in Schaaf homicide case

Schaaf was reported missing on May 19, 2021.

Her body was found a month later at Pawnee Lake west of Lincoln.

An autopsy revealed that she had been drugged and suffocated, according to court documents.

Her body also had stab wounds that had been inflicted after death, an arrest affidavit says.

SEE ALSO: Records: Carly Schaaf died by homicide

Barraza bleached Schaaf’s hair in an effort to change her appearance, then hid her body at the lake.

Police said his brother, then-16-year-old Danyl Barraza, helped him dispose of the body. He is charged with accessory to a felony.

The older Barraza’s girlfriend, 29-year-old Rachel Pageler, is also facing one count of accessory to a felony.

SEE ALSO: Lincoln woman has all but one charge dropped in Carly Schaaf homicide

Danyl Barraza is due back in court on Aug. 18, and Pageler has a hearing scheduled for Aug. 19.

The case was delayed because both Joesef Barraza and Pageler faced federal drug and gun charges.

Barraza was sentenced in the federal case in 2023; Pageler will be sentenced in September.

A judge set Barraza’s sentencing for Schaaf’s murder for Aug. 14.