Man accused of killing couple in Lyon Co. pleads guilty
Published 9:32 am Friday, March 18, 2016
MARSHALL — A man accused of killing a couple at their Lyon County farmhouse during a burglary last year has pleaded guilty to charges.
Prosecutors said 21-year-old Derek Hexum and an accomplice stole a shotgun and pickup truck in rural Ghent in April 2015, then drove to the victims’ home in rural Balaton.
Hexum told a Lyon County District Court judge Thursday that he blacked out and didn’t remember shooting 75-year-old James Hively and his 71-year-old wife Catherine. Their bodies were found in the charred ruins of their farmhouse.
According to a press release, Hexum has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder while committing a burglary, arson and burglary.
Accomplice Theodore Como and a third defendant accused of helping set fire to the property, Kyle Wesselink, have also pleaded guilty to charges.