A man is charged with kidnapping his 13-year-old niece and killing her parents.
Robert Lee Hixson, 42, surrendered after about four hours of negotiations. He released his niece, Hadley Bilger, unharmed.
Authorities said Hixson broke into the Bilger home late at night armed with a shotgun. They said he shot and killed his brother-in-law, Myron Bilger, and Bilger’s wife. Myron Bilger identified Hixson as his killer before he died. Hixson then left with the couple’s daughter, Hadley, whom authorities say he had become obsessed with. The girl’s 5-year-old sister, who was also in the house, ran for help.
Police issued a statewide Amber Alert for Hadley. A state trooper spotted Hixson’s red Chevrolet pickup the following morning and took chase. Hixson stopped in a food vending company parking lot and released Hadley unharmed. But he remained armed in a standoff with police for four hours before surrendering. He is being held without bail.