COLUMBUS, Neb.- - A man will spend 85 years in prison for the killing of an elderly man.

According to the Attorney General Mike Hilgers office, a district judge has sentenced 31-year-old Michael J. Keener to 85 years in prison for the murder of 77-year-old Larry A. Houdek in Columbus.

A news release says someone called police with concerns about injuries he had observed on Keener. Keener then admitted to police that he had killed a man. After being treated for his injuries, Keener took police to where Houdek’s body was located. 

In January of 2022, police found Houdek dead in his Columbus residence and an autopsy revealed his death was the result of multiple stab wounds. 

In February, Keener pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon. Prosecutors agreed to reduce his murder charge from first to second degree and to dismiss a possession of a deadly weapon charge. 

He will serve 65 years to life for the murder conviction and 20 to 25 years for use of a deadly weapon.