The Iowa Court of Appeals has rejected the legal arguments of a man found guilty of the gruesome killing a wheelchair-bound south central Iowa. Kenny Chris Hemm of Eldon, which is just south of Ottumwa, was found guilty of first degree murder and arson for killing paraplegic Larry Pippenger in April of 2000.
Authorities discovered Pippenger had been decapitated and dismembered before he was set on fire. His hands and feet have never been found. Authorities believe Hemm set fire to his own house and the car where Pippenger’s body was found to cover up the crime.
Hemm’s first conviction on the charges was overturned, he stood trial a second time, and a jury convicted him of murder and arson. In his latest appeal, Hemm argues there wasn’t “sufficient” evidence to convict him. The Court of Appeals rejected all of Hemm’s claims and upheld his convictions.