Hutchinson man pleads guilty in death of man who went missing
A Hutchinson man has pleaded guilty in the death of a 25-year-old man whose fragmentary remains were found in a fire pit last fall.
Twenty-nine-year-old Robert Nuttall pleaded guilty to felony unintentional murder Friday as jury selection in his trial was about to begin.
Nuttall had been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Christopher Rossing.
A criminal complaint says Nuttall beat Rossing unconscious during an argument August 2014 after a night of drinking. Sheriff's officials executed a search warrant at Nutall's Hutchinson farm in October and found bone fragments and teeth in a fire pit. Dental records later confirmed the remains belonged to Rossing.
Wright County Attorney Tom Kelly says without a body, it would have been difficult to prove intentional homicide.
Sentencing is set for Oct. 30.
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