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Background: News footage of Christopher Milke (in orange) in court on March 19 for his sentencing (KOLN). Inset: Tammy Leslie (Griffiths-Hovendick Chapel).
A Nebraska man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his longtime partner and the mother of his children. Christopher Milke, 53, was found guilty of first-degree murder, among other charges, in the shooting death of 52-year-old Tammy Leslie. The incident, which occurred in September 2024, also involved Milke taking the couple’s two children, then aged 11 and 19, hostage inside their home. Following a jury’s decision in February, a judge has sentenced Milke to two life terms plus additional years for related offenses — a decision Milke did not take lightly.
During the sentencing, as reported by local CBS affiliate KOLN, Milke expressed his frustration through multiple outbursts while Gage County District Judge Rick Schreiner delivered the verdict. Milke contended that crucial evidence was absent from his trial, stating, “There wasn’t anything fair about this trial, not one godd— thing,” on Thursday.
Given a chance to address the court, Milke said, “What happened in that room that night, I wish my kids believed in me like I believe in them. It wasn’t murder, and that’s all I’m gonna say.”
However, Milke’s interruptions continued, according to KOLN, prompting Judge Schreiner to issue a stern warning. Schreiner told Milke, “Mr. Milke, I’m not going to listen to your outbursts. You have the right to appear at sentencing, or I can remove you from this room, have you strapped to a chair at the sheriff’s office and read my sentence from there.”
That was not all Milke was going to say, as KOLN reported that the convicted murderer repeatedly interrupted Schreiner while he read the sentence. He warned Milke, “Mr. Milke, I’m not going to listen to your outbursts. You have the right to appear at sentencing, or I can remove you from this room, have you strapped to a chair at the sheriff’s office and read my sentence from there.”
Schreiner told the court that Milke showed no remorse and threw his own words back at him. “‘I finally killed somebody.’ Those are your words as you went to get another beer out of the refrigerator. This isn’t a whodunnit, Mr. Milke. It’s a you-dunnit.”
According to court documents obtained by KOLN, Milke shot Leslie several times in the head and chest in the early morning hours of Sept. 8, 2024. Police responded to the scene after a 911 call from the couple’s then-19-year-old daughter, who got back to the family’s home around 1:30 a.m. When she saw her father, he told her he killed her mother.
The couple’s 11-year-old son was home at the time in his bedroom and told police he heard four gunshots around 1 a.m. After the boy heard the shots, Milke ordered him to hand over his phone and go to the living room. When the older daughter came home, Milke asked for her phone as well.
The daughter took her phone back a few hours later, after Milke fell asleep. She told police that her father had sealed every exit to the home, preventing the two children from leaving the house. Milke reportedly suspected Leslie of infidelity and was attempting to keep her from leaving. He had been screwing the exits to the home shut every night for about a month before the murder.
Police said they believed Milke was abusing alcohol during this time.
After getting the call from the daughter, authorities agreed that they would attempt to breach the home after 6 a.m. At 6:20 a.m., authorities made their way inside and got the two children out safely. Milke had a 9 mm pistol on him when he was taken into custody.
Leslie was found in the couple’s bedroom, dead of several gunshot wounds.
Milke was found guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment, commission of a felony with a firearm, and tampering with physical evidence. He received two life sentences plus additional decades in prison.