Man Admits Killing Southwestern Minnesota Couple

MARSHALL, Minn. (AP) — A man accused of killing a couple at their Lyon County farmhouse during a burglary last year has pleaded guilty to charges.

Prosecutors say 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.

The Marshall Independent reports 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.

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