Jurors awarded $240 million to Thomas’ estate and her parents for wrongful death, pain, suffering, mental anguish and emotional distress. They multiplied that figure by 10 to arrive at punitive damages of $2.4 billion.

Under Nebraska law, punitive damages must be distributed to the public schools, Powers said.

Keadle, 34, did not appear and was not represented during Wednesday’s trial at the courthouse in Auburn, Nebraska. During a pretrial deposition, Keadle asserted his Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions.

The family has been unsuccessful in its attempts to collect damages from the State College Board of Trustees, which oversees Peru State and two other state colleges. Federal and state judges have said college officials could not have foreseen that Keadle would possibly commit violence against a fellow student. The family has appealed the dismissal of their federal lawsuit against the college.

Now both state and federal courts have entered judgments against Keadle, essentially holding him responsible for Thomas’ death. The judgments are not the same, however, as a criminal conviction.

A security camera recorded Thomas walking across the campus about 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 3, 2010. She was headed toward her dorm after drinking alcohol at an off-campus party.