A murder case that began with the discovery of a young woman’s body along a rural road near Harvard four years ago reached Nebraska’s highest court Sept. 29.
The Nebraska Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the appeal of Anthony A. Mattison, who was convicted in Clay County District Court of second-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony in the death of Jasmine Garnett.
Although the arguments were heard in Lincoln, the case before the Supreme Court is an appeal directly from Clay County District Court and stems from a crime, investigation and prosecution with numerous Clay County connections.
Garnett, 24, was killed Sept. 17, 2022. Her body was found Oct. 5, 2022, along a rural Clay County road near Harvard.
According to court documents filed during the investigation, a Nebraska State Patrol investigator was assigned to the case after a body was discovered on Road 3195 between Roads L and M. Garnett was identified two days later, and investigators determined she had suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation eventually focused on Mattison, of Osceola.
According to an arrest affidavit, investigators obtained surveillance footage showing Mattison driving a stolen 2000 Pontiac Firebird during the early morning hours of Sept. 17, 2022. Cellphone records reviewed by investigators placed Mattison’s phone in the Harvard area.
Investigators also reviewed surveillance video from the Harvard Police Department, located approximately one mile west of where Garnett’s body was later found. According to the affidavit, five gunshots could be heard on the recording at approximately 5 a.m.
About 15 minutes later, a Clay County resident reported an abandoned white vehicle near her home. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office responded and learned the vehicle had been reported stolen, according to court records.
Investigators later recovered shell casings near Garnett’s body. According to the affidavit, testing by the Nebraska State Patrol Crime Lab linked those casings to casings recovered following a Sept. 27, 2022, shootout between Mattison and Hastings police.
Investigators also processed the stolen Firebird and found blood inside the driver’s door. Testing identified the blood as Garnett’s, according to the affidavit.
The investigation eventually resulted in charges being filed in Clay County in April 2024, more than a year and a half after Garnett’s body was discovered.
Mattison was initially charged in Clay County Court with first-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and improper disposal of human skeletal remains.
The Nebraska State Patrol served as the lead investigative agency. The Clay County Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case with assistance from the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office.
The case later moved to Clay County District Court.
In August 2025, Mattison entered into a global plea agreement involving the Clay County murder case and a separate Adams County case stemming from the shootout with Hastings police.
In the Clay County case, Mattison pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony.
Mattison later sought to withdraw his plea before sentencing, but District Judge Morgan Farquhar denied the request.
On Nov. 26, 2025, Mattison was sentenced to 50 years to life for Garnett’s murder and an additional 48 to 50 years for use of a firearm to commit a felony. The sentences were ordered to run consecutively. By agreement of the parties, the sentences in the Clay County case were pronounced in Adams County District Court.
Mattison was sentenced the same day in the separate Adams County case to 45 to 50 years on each of two attempted second-degree murder convictions for shooting at law enforcement. Those two sentences run concurrently with one another but consecutively to his sentences from Clay County.
The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office has credited a number of agencies with assisting in the investigation, arrest and prosecution, including the Nebraska State Patrol, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Clay County Attorney’s Office, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Hastings Police Department, SCALES Task Force, Adams County Attorney’s Office and Attorney General’s Office.
The Clay County case is now before the Nebraska Supreme Court. Under Nebraska law, cases involving a sentence of life imprisonment are appealed directly to the state’s highest court.
The Supreme Court identifies the case as State of Nebraska v. Anthony A. Mattison, case No. S-25-0900, an appeal from the District Court for Clay County.
Mattison raises two issues in the appeal. He argues that the Clay County District Court abused its discretion by imposing excessive sentences and by failing to grant his motion to withdraw his plea.
The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case Tuesday morning in Lincoln. Mattison is represented on appeal by Timothy S. Noerrlinger and Brooklyn G. Terrill of the Nebraska Commission for Public Advocacy. Teryn R. Blessin of the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office represents the state.
The Supreme Court did not issue a decision following oral arguments. The case remains under consideration, with no specific date set for a decision.
For Clay County, the Supreme Court hearing marks the latest chapter in a case that began locally with the discovery of Garnett’s body along a rural road near Harvard, involved the Clay County Sheriff’s Office during the early investigation, resulted in charges filed in Clay County and moved through the county’s court system before reaching Nebraska’s highest court.
The Nebraska Supreme Court heard oral arguments in an appeal of Anthony A. Mattison who was convicted of second- degree murder in the death of Jasmine Garnett in September of 2022. FILE PHOTO | CLAY COUNTY NEWS
