UPDATE: Obregon takes stunning plea

Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth, Sgt. Neil Paulsen and Det. Jeff Bliss each review their roles in the investigation involving Andrew Obregon in a news conference Friday (Jason Arndt/The Report).

By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer

A day after Andrew Obregon made a brief appearance in Kenosha County Circuit Court, where he expected to face 28 felony charges in a jury trial next week, the 33-year-old took a plea bargain Friday.

Obregon, who eluded authorities for 22 days in 2015 after they discovered 37-year-old Tywon Anderson’s remains in a Town of Paris cornfield, allegedly stole multiple vehicles and robbed two convenience stores.

Before Obregon took the plea, he faced life in prison plus 435 years in prison, but instead, he could serve life imprisonment plus 150 years.

Sentencing is set for April 4.

The plea stunned Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth, who noted court officials had prepared for the Monday jury trial before Circuit Court Judge Chad Kerkman.

On Thursday, Obregon and court officials held a jury status hearing, which revealed about 170 of 200 prospective jurors returned their questionnaires in preparation for next week’s trial.

“As of yesterday afternoon, we thought the jury trial was going to happen next week,” said Beth. “But, the public defenders office actually called the court today, Judge Kerkman’s court, and asked to have a plea hearing.”

“This was a complete shock to us, we didn’t know this was going to happen,” he added.

Obregon pleaded guilty to first-degree intentional homicide in the death of Anderson, first-degree attempted homicide stemming from his role in a beating of a Brighton woman, felony armed robbery along with three counts of eluding/fleeing an officer.


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