Bio

Avram Nika was born in 1970 in Pancevo, which is near Belgrade, in what is now Serbia. Although he was born in Yugoslavia, his family is believed to be of Romanian descent. When he was 19 years old, Nika left Europe and moved to Canada. After that, he relocated to the United States and settled in Chicago, where he became part of the Serbo-Croat émigré community.

As an adult, Avram married a woman named Rodika. The couple later moved to California, where they lived for some time before moving to Reno, Nevada. Nika reportedly faced challenges with the English language. He spoke fluent Serbo-Croatian, quite fluent Romanian, but only had a limited grasp of English. His wife often had to help him communicate with merchants and government officials.

On August 26, 1994, Nika was driving a brown Chrysler New Yorker and was filled with personal belongings such as clothing and tools. That day, he was traveling to Chicago to visit his sick mother. While driving along Interstate 80, his car broke down close to Reno, Nevada. Nika remained by the roadside hoping for help. He was seen by several passing motorists, including a man named Edward Smith, who was stopping to help.

Before Nika’s encounter with Smith, he had been in Reno for just a short time, arriving there earlier that day. He had stopped to eat at a local casino before his car broke down. Witnesses reported seeing Nika looking frustrated by the side of the road as he tried to flag down cars for help. His stranded vehicle did not have any lights on and appeared to be abandoned.

Murder Story

On August 26, 1994, Avram Nika's car broke down on Interstate 80 in Washoe County, Nevada. He was attempting to travel to Chicago. While stranded, he was approached by Edward Smith, a good Samaritan who stopped to help. At some point, Nika attacked Smith. The details of the attack indicate that he hit Smith on the head and then shot him in the forehead at close range.

After the murder, Nika dragged Smith's body off the road and left it near some railroad tracks. When authorities found Smith's body the next day, evidence pointed to Nika as the culprit. His clothing contained traces of Smith's blood. Nika was arrested in Chicago after being found driving Smith's car.

During his trial in June 1995, Nika was convicted of first-degree murder. Prosecutors argued that the murder was committed in the course of robbery. The jury found Nika guilty and determined that the murder was carried out in a random fashion with no apparent motive.

In June 1995, Nika was sentenced to death. He has since attempted to appeal his conviction, arguing that he did not receive adequate legal representation during his trial.