A Nevada, Iowa, man was sentenced to life in prison Friday for murdering his stepsister and her cousin in a Guthrie Center arson fire in May 2017.
Guthrie County District Court Judge Brad McCall sentenced Patrick Thomson, 27, to life without the possibility of parole after he was convicted Oct. 8 of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson.
Jurors concluded Thompson intentionally set fire May 15, 2017, to the home of his step-sister, Melanie “Paige” Exline, 12, and her cousin, Shakiah Cockerham, 16, both of Guthrie Center. The girls’ grandmother, Shirley Exline, 74, and their uncle, William Long III, 54, were also injured in the blaze that killed the cousins and destroyed the house at 1005 Main St. in Guthrie Center.
Prosecutors argued that Thompson’s motive in the murders was to prevent his stepsister, Paige Exline, from testifying in a sexual abuse trial against James Exline, the father of both Thompson and Paige Exline.
James Exline was sentenced to 75 years in prison in August after being convicted of second-degree sexual abuse and third-degree sexual abuse in connection with the 2016 abuse of his daughter, Paige Exline.
Noah Duane Exline, 19, of Jefferson, the elder brother of Paige Exline, was arrested April 3, 2017, on charges he sexually abused his sister between 2014 and 2016. Exline pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his trial is pending on seven counts of second-degree sexual abuse.
Noah Exline testified at Friday’s sentencing hearing for Thompson, his step-brother. Exline’s trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 30.
