Guilty plea entered for Eden Prairie man who killed his parents
Photo Courtesy: Hennepin County Jail
An Eden Prairie man who killed both of his parents with screwdrivers in May pleaded guilty to to second-degree murder charges Tuesday, though in the process he rejected an offer of just over 40 years in prison.
In lieu of a deal over sentencing, the determination will be made by a judge after both sides make a formal argument in court this January.
In the process of making his guilty plea, 38-year-old Nathan Lehman conceded that the judge would be allowed to hand down a heavier sentence than what is recommended under the Minnesota sentencing guidelines due to "aggravating circumstances," including the cruelty of murdering someone with a screwdriver and the fact that he committed the crime in their own bathroom.
Lehman had been living with his parents and was under orders from a mental health caseworker to not leave the house, though his parents reported him missing just a few weeks before he murdered them.
Police later found bloody clothes in the trunk of his car and a hatchet with traces of blood on it, as well as methamphetamine.
In testimony to authorities Lehman admitted to stabbing his parents and throwing the two screwdrivers out of his car window while driving somewhere after leaving the scene.