A few months ago he sliced through his tongue to make it look like a snake before smearing the blood all over the walls of his cell.
Now it seems Nikko Jenkins is taking his self-mutilations below the belt.
The 29-year-old ‘psychopath’ – who killed four people within 10 days of being released from prison in Nebraska in July 2013 – continues to worship the Egyptian serpent god Apep, or Apophis, this time by reportedly cutting his own penis and requiring 27 stitches because of it.
Jenkins, who has covered his face in hieroglyphic tattoos in reference of the ancient deity, told court officials this week about the homage, but did not specify what instrument he used, according to Omaha.com.
Correctional officers have not confirmed the self-mutilation or commented on how Jenkins managed to do it.
It is the third such incident of Jenkins cutting himself in custody since his arrest in August 2013.
The latest laceration has forced a major security crackdown at Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln, as officers try to determine how Jenkins is finding the means to hurt himself.
There are now cameras inside his cell and a guard is stationed outside at all times, tasked at checking on Jenkins every 15 minutes.
Absorbent socks have also been placed under Jenkins’ cell door to stop any items being passed underneath and he is no longer allowed to shave in order to keep him from stealing razors.
‘You really have to question how this keeps happening,’ State Ombudsman Marshall Lux told Omaha.com.
‘Nobody seems to know exactly what he’s got or how he’s getting it.
‘It’s a mystery to me. And I’m guessing it’s a mystery to (prison officials).’
In April Jenkins tried to carve ‘666’ into his forehead, but did it in front of mirror so it came across backwards.
The ‘666’ symbol is described in the biblical book of Revelation as ‘the sign of the beast’, and has since been popularized by the horror movie The Omen.
However, with the series of upside-down 9s, Jenkins fashioned himself an entirely unique – and irreversible – engraving.
According to Omaha.com, Jenkins told his attorney about the incident in a phone call from his cell in Omaha, Nebraska.
It comes amid the 28-year-old’s ongoing appeal that he is mentally unstable and therefore ineligible to face the death penalty.
Jenkins was jailed exactly for shooting dead four people in 10 days after being released from prison.
During his murder trial in Douglas County, Jenkins was assessed by a doctor who concluded that he was ‘a psychopath’ and ‘one of the most dangerous people’ he had ever encountered.
Jenkins pleaded not guilty, then guilty, then ineligible for trial on the grounds of insanity.
However, a judge dismissed the appeals and he was sentenced to life.
The decision of whether he would be sentenced to death was delayed after Jenkins revealed he had carved a swastika into his skin.
Following months of delays, he will face a panel in July to decide his fate.
It is believed Jenkins may use his latest botched case of self-mutilation as further evidence that he is mentally unstable.
While prosecutors say that Jenkins planned the killings to cover up robberies of the victims or to keep them from identifying him, Jenkins insisted he did not remember killing anyone, only that an Egyptian god named Ahpophis ordered him in a foreign language to kill the four as human sacrifices.
Dr. Eugene Oliveto, who serves as a psychiatrist for the prison system in Douglas County, testified in a February hearing on Jenkins’ competency that Jenkins was a ‘psychopath’ and ‘one of the most dangerous people I have ever evaluated.’
Bataillon found Jenkins competent to stand trial.
Jenkins had flipped between expressing his guilt and declaring his innocence since being charged with the killings in September. After initially pleading not guilty, he declared in November that he wanted to plead guilty.
He had changed his mind again by late January, saying he is mentally ill and should be released from jail.
Police say Jenkins used a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun loaded with deer slugs August 11 to kill Cajiga-Ruiz and Uribe-Pena, whose bodies were found inside a pickup truck in southeast Omaha.
Eight days later, he used a small-caliber gun to kill Bradford, a one-time prison acquaintance. Then, on August 21, police say, Jenkins pulled Andrea Kruger from her SUV as she drove home from work and shot her four times before speeding off in her vehicle.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Jenkins’ release from prison is one of several that have prompted the state to reconsider its supervised release programs.
He had threatened violence while incarcerated and begged corrections officials to commit him to a mental health institution. A state ombudsman’s report released in January faulted the department for its handling of the case.
Two bills introduced by Senator Brad Ashford of Omaha on the topic were passed by the Nebraska Legislature this year and are awaiting the governor’s approval. One would provide more supervision for former inmates and another would create programs that help them transition back to society.
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