Missouri teen tried in robbery-slaying of elderly couple

MARSHALL, Mo. (AP) -- Testimony continues in the trial of a Missouri teenager charged with killing an elderly couple and setting their home on fire in a $70 robbery.

A Saline County Circuit Court jury on Wednesday watched a videotaped police interrogation of Daniel Berning, a key witness in the case against Lyndale Henderson. The tapes showed Berning first denying involvement in the crime but later admitting that he stabbed the couple.

The 19-year-old Henderson is charged with first-degree murder, burglary, theft and arson in the deaths of Richard and Jessie Shepard on June 5th, 2006. In a plea agreement, Berning pleaded guilty in May to two counts of second-degree murder and other charges.

Medical examiner Dr. Miguel Laboy testified Wednesday that an autopsy showed the victims were probably dead before the fire could have killed them.

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Information from: The Sedalia Democrat, http://www.sedaliademocrat.com