Man pleads guilty to homicides

A Fort Scott man accused of murdering his mother and step-father nearly two years ago now faces a potential of life imprisonment with a chance of parole after he plead guilty Monday in the 6th Judicial District Court.

During an arraignment hearing before 6th Judicial District Court Judge Mark Ward, Dawson James Mitchell, 24, entered a plea of guilty to two counts off-grid person felonies of murder in the first degree – premeditated, for the Dec. 21, 2021 death of his mother Melissa Hays-Mitchell and stepfather Leonard Zimmerman in a residence in the 400 block of Main Street.

See Wednesday's print or online edition for full story.