Former brain surgeon plans to plead insanity in child sexual assault case

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT/Gray News) — A former Nebraska brain surgeon awaiting trial for sexual assault of a child plans to plead insanity.

Travis Tierney was one of several men accused of repeatedly sneaking into the basement of a west Omaha home to sexually assault a 15-year-old.

Investigators accused him of sneaking into the home three weekends in a row in the spring of 2024.

A Douglas County District Court judge previously stripped Tierney of $75,000 he posted to get out of jail before trial. He was not supposed to travel out of Douglas County, but investigators found he had flown to Arizona.

A fugitive team later picked him up at the airport.

For nine months, Tierney’s criminal case was in limbo while he was examined by state psychiatrists to determine whether he was competent for trial. In January, state psychiatrists determined he was competent.

Tierney’s attorney now plans to argue that he was not responsible by reason of insanity.

A judge has ordered doctors at the Lincoln Regional Center to examine whether Tierney was insane at the time of the alleged crimes.

Competency is about whether a person can understand the legal proceedings and participate in their defense.

A defense of not responsible by reason of insanity goes to the time the alleged crimes occurred. Psychiatrists must determine whether Tierney could distinguish between right and wrong at the time of the crimes, or whether a mental illness prevented him from knowing and understanding what he was doing.

An answer from that examination is likely months away.

Tierney will remain in custody until trial.