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Western Iowa trial about to begin in slayings of 2 people

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January 20th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

DELOIT, Iowa (AP) – Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday for one of two men accused of killing two people and attempting to burn their bodies in western Iowa. Twenty-six-year-old Michael Schenk is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of arson. Authorities say Schenk and 19-year-old Jayden Chapman, both of Denison, shot 80-year-old Marvin Huesling and 81-year-old Alice Huisenga at a trailer home in Deloit on March 10 and then set it on fire. Investigators say the two men likely were on the property to steal scrap metal.

Chapman’s trial is scheduled to begin April 28 in another county. A judge has ruled that because of expected media coverage of Schenk’s trial, it would be difficult to find an impartial jury for Chapman’s trial in Crawford County.