NE NE - Mary Kay Heese, 17, Wahoo, 25 March 1969

[Teamir]

Another article about the arrest….

Bombshell update in 1969 cold case of murdered Nebraska teen

Mary Kay Heese, 17, (pictured) was last seen standing at a street corner on March 25, 1969, just five blocks away from her family home in Wahoo, Nebraska, about 70 miles from Omaha.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[PommyMommy]

NOV 21, 2024

EXCLUSIVE: Detective opens up out about Nebraska teen’s 1969 murder case

Stabbed at least a dozen times, the body of 17-year-old Mary Kay Heese was discovered along a country road in 1969.

www.wowt.com

Detective Green believes a party grove was the destination.

“And she’s just thinking, ‘It’s OK. A couple of guys I know from the restaurant, and we’re going out for a ride,‘” Green said.

Green reveals that Mary Kay likely got in the car with the suspect and another young man who was with them.

“He committed suicide in ’77, so if he wasn’t an active participant or just didn’t realize what was going to happened all of a sudden it just happened,” Green said.

 

[dotr]

Apr. 8, 2025

Judge delays hearing in 1969 Nebraska teen’s murder case

A family waiting for justice for 55 years -- will have to wait longer.

www.wowt.com

'WAHOO, Neb. (WOWT) - A family waiting for justice for 55 years -- will have to wait longer.

On Monday, a Saunders County District Court judge delayed the next steps in the case of 77-year-old Joseph Ambroz.'
'His hearing is now scheduled for mid-June in connection to the stabbing death of Mary Kay Hesse along a country road near Wahoo.'

 

[dotr]

Jul. 28, 2025

Victim’s family reacts to potential plea deal in 1969 Nebraska teen’s murder case

The victim’s closest living relative says a plea deal has caused family unrest with the legal system.

www.wowt.com

'WAHOO, Neb. (WOWT) - A potential plea agreement in a cold case murder in Nebraska has been confirmed by authorities.

Saturday night, First Alert 6 Investigates first reported that 77-year-old Joseph Ambroz will likely face a lesser charge in the stabbing death of 17-year-old Mary Kay Hesse. Ambroz has been in custody since last November for first-degree murder.'

“There were some tough decisions to be made about this case... I’m truly sorry they [the family] are not happy.”
County Attorney Jennifer Joakim''

 

[dotr]

Jul 31, 2025
Relatives of Mary Kay Heese speaks after Joseph Ambroz pleads no contest to conspiracy
July 31, 2025, rbbm.

Judge approves plea deal for man indicted in 1969 cold-case murder

A judge accepted a no contest plea on Thursday from Joseph Ambroz, who was indicted for the murder of a teenager in 1969 in Wahoo. The charge carries a maximum two year sentence. Ambroz’s sentencing hearing will take place on Aug. 27 in Saunders County.

nebraskapublicmedia.org

''A Saunders County judge approved a man’s no contest plea on Thursday for a lesser charge in a reopened cold-case murder.

At the Thursday hearing, Joseph Ambroz, 79, pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. The charge carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

Ambroz’s sentencing hearing is set for Aug. 27. In the meantime, he will remain in jail without bond.''

 

[dotr]

Sep 5 2025 rbbm.

Saunders County cold case: Why was court required to use ‘Good Time’ law?

A week later, and a controversial court decision out of Sanders County is still boiling for the family of Mary Kay Heese.

www.wowt.com

''Joseph Ambroz, arrested as a murder suspect last November, received a maximum of two years Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, after pleading "no contest" to a lesser charge relating to the murder of 17-year-old Mary Kay Heese in 1969.(Zoren Tesic / WOWT)
Ambroz has been hiding and running from the murder conspiracy for 55 years. Prosecutors said that witnesses’ memories faded in that time, and some died. Also, the DNA wasn’t conclusive.''

''It’s sooner than that -- Nebraska corrections says November 15th. That means he’ll spend less than a year in jail for conspiracy to commit murder.

So why did the Nebraska system shaved a year off his sentence?''

''Mary Kay’s family tells First Alert 6 its like they have been victimized again. They even wonder if they could use the courts themselves to try to sue and keep Ambroz in jail.''