NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) — A man has pleaded no contest to charges related to the death of a northeast Nebraska man whose body was found in a burned-out house.
The Sioux City Journal reports Derek Olson pleaded no contest Monday to second-degree murder and second-degree arson in the March 10, 2017, death of 64-year-old Ernest Warnock. Authorities found Warnock’s body in the burned rubble of his home in rural Rosalie.
Prosecutors will recommend Olson be sentenced to 40 to 60 years in prison for murder and four years for arson. He will be sentenced July 18.
A mistrial was declared in an earlier trial of Olson after an investigator mentioned a lie detector test taken by a witness.
Olson’s father, Jody Olson, pleaded guilty earlier to second-degree murder.
Two other also have been convicted of charges related to the killing.
