YELLVILLE -- A Baxter County man who pleaded guilty to the Nov. 7 slayings of an elderly couple was denied an appeal of the confession and his capital murder conviction stands, Baxter County Circuit Court Clerk Canda Reese said.
Nicholas Roos, 25, of Gassville entered a guilty plea May 24, admitting to killing Donald Rice, 75, and Ladonna Rice, 71, in their Midway home. Roos also was found guilty of two counts of arson, two counts of theft of property, aggravated robbery, residential burglary and commercial burglary. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Roos later hand-wrote an appeal of his plea, saying his attorneys did not consider his mental health as a possible defense.
Circuit Court Judge Gordon Webb denied the motion Wednesday.
The hearing was held in Marion County rather than Baxter County because of Webb's schedule, Reese said.
Baxter County deputies found the Rices' bodies in the charred debris of their rural Baxter County home Nov. 10 after firefighters responded to a fire there Nov. 7.
Police also arrested Mikayla Mynk, 21, of Gassville and Zach Tyler Grayham, 24, of Mountain Home.
Mynk and Grayham are scheduled to be tried Sept. 19 in Baxter County Circuit Court in Mountain Home.
State Desk on 08/19/2016