Who is Joshua Wirgau? Michigan man pleads guilty to double homicide of a teenager and and 34-year-old woman
ALPENA COUNTY, MICHIGAN: Joshua Wirgau, one of two Michigan men who were charged with double murder pleaded guilty to reduced charges on Thursday, November 2.
According to prosecutors, the 35-year-old man also agreed to cooperate in the prosecution of his co-defendant, Brad Srebnik, reports Fox News.
What are the charges against Joshua Wirgau?
The Alpena man pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including one count each of involuntary manslaughter and disinterment, accessory after the fact, and mutilation of a dead body.
Prosecutors stated that a sentencing deal requests 15-30 years behind bars.
He agreed to cooperate in the double murder case against 37-year-old Srebnik who has been charged with five crimes.
His charges include first-degree murder in the death of Alpena woman Abby Hill, 31, and teenager Brynn Bills, 17.
However, it remains unclear whether Srebnik had entered a plea deal or if he has legal representation in the case.
What happened to Abby Hill and Brynn Bills?
Bills' body was unearthed in Wirgau's yard in September 2021, a month after she was last seen in August in Alpena Township, according to prosecutors.
According to the Michigan Attorney General’s Office press release, "By September, the MSP identified Srebnik, Wirgau, and Hill as being involved in the disappearance of Bills."
"During the course of that investigation, it was learned that Hill was the last person to see Bills alive," the press release added.
"Facebook Messenger and eyewitness testimony both support that Bills was picked up by Hill in the early morning hours of August 2, 2021," the statement added.
"The prosecution alleges that Bills was killed by Srebnik, and her body was buried in the backyard of Wirgau’s home shortly after she was last seen alive," the statement continued.
Hill, who "knew too much" about Bills' murder, was killed to not reveal the truth.
"Those men killed Abby Hill and left her body in the woods because they believed she would reveal information about their crimes," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said.
The 34-year-old woman was discovered dead in a wooded area in the Alpena township.
"On September 25, 2021, Srebnik, Wirgau, and Hill were dropped off in a remote area of Alpena," read the press release.
"The prosecution believes Abby Hill, 34, of Alpena, was executed on that property to stop her from revealing information about the killing of Bills, and that Hill’s body was left at the site," the press release continued.
A motive behind Bill's death has not yet been revealed.