Woman, 52, pleads guilty to murdering homeless man

HOWELL, Mich. (AP) -- A woman has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the 2010 beating and hypothermia death of a 71-year-old homeless man. Fifty-two-year-old Antoinette Hix of Gaines made the plea Wednesday in Livingston County District Court in Howell. WHMI-FM says she made the plea in exchange for the dropping of first-degree murder and elder abuse charges. Prosecutors also agree to recommend she serve no more than 18 years, 9 months in prison. First-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without parole. The body of Clarence E. Hines was found last April in Conway Township, about 35 miles east of Lansing. Authorities filed charges in 2011 against Hix and 45-year-old Mitchell J. Hall. They'd been caring for Hines. She's also agreed to testify against Hall, whose trial's scheduled Aug. 26. Published: Fri, Aug 9, 2013