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Jury convicts Panhandle man in roommate's murder

The Associated Press

A Western Nebraska jury has convicted a 26-year-old man of murdering his Chadron State College roommate last year.

The Dawes County jury convicted Joseph Hotz on Monday of second-degree murder and five other felonies.

In addition to stabbing and killing his roommate, 22-year-old Kenneth Pfeiffer of Sebastian, Fla., Hotz also broke into another home and attacked someone in December 2008. Both Hotz and Pfeiffer were Chadron State students, but they lived off campus.

Hotz's attorneys had argued that hallucinogenic mushrooms left Hotz delusional.

Hotz faces 35 years to life in prison when he is sentenced in January. Besides the murder charge, he was convicted of attempted second-degreee murder, terroristic threats and three weapons charges.

Information from: KQSK-FM, http://www.doubleqcountry.com/kqskchadron.html

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