Arkansan gets life for killing his mother, 60-year-old man

A Lead Hill man was sentenced to life in prison Monday after pleading no contest Friday to two counts of capital murder.

Glen Froehlich, 39, entered the negotiated plea in Boone County Circuit Court. His trial, which was scheduled to begin April 15, was canceled, according to a court filing.

Glen Froehlich was charged in October 2015 in the shooting deaths of his mother, Helen Froehlich, 61, and Frank Simpson, 60.

The bodies of the two victims were found Oct. 3, 2015, after bake-sale organizers called the Boone County sheriff's office saying they hadn't been able to reach Helen Froehlich since Oct. 1.

Two weeks earlier, concerned about his mental state, Helen Froehlich had asked her son to stop sleeping in a house that was being built on her property, according to Sheriff Mike Moore and an affidavit from Sgt. Jason Brisco with the sheriff's office.

Glen Froehlich responded by threatening her, firing a rifle into the ground and going back into the house, according to the affidavit filed in Boone County Circuit Court.

Deputies arrived "but he ran off into the woods," Moore said.

The homicide victims were found and Froehlich was arrested Oct. 3, 2015, after a five-hour standoff with police in which no shots were fired. The victims died a day or two before being found, according to the affidavit.

Helen Froehlich was shot while she was in bed watching television, according to the affidavit. Simpson, who lived in an apartment in the Froehlichs' barn, was shot while sitting behind a desk at a computer.

Twelve spent shell casings from a Chinese SKS 7.62x39mm rifle were found at the scene of the shootings, according to the court filing.

Two dogs at the foot of Helen Froehlich's bed also had been shot. In addition to two counts of capital murder, Glen Froehlich pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals.

Other charges against Froehlich were dropped as part of the plea agreement.

State Desk on 03/19/2019

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