A wild-eyed North Carolina man allegedly butchered two of his neighbors inside a mobile home, all because he believed they killed his pet bearded dragon.
Cade Addison Hyskell, 38, is facing two counts of first-degree murder after cops say he broke into a home on Cedar Grove Drive in Lexington and fatally stabbed 51-year-old Susie Kiger and 40-year-old Joshua Purvis.
Prosecutors revealed the bloodbath was triggered by the death of Hyskell’s beloved bearded dragon. Investigators recovered a dead bearded dragon buried in a yard near the scene. Hyskell had reportedly told family members he was on a mission to hunt down 13 people he blamed for killing his lizard.
The horror unfolded Monday morning when deputies responded to a 911 call from a man who calmly claimed he had just broken into a residence and killed two people. When officers arrived at the Cedar Grove mobile home park around 7:47 a.m., they found Hyskell in a neighboring yard. He refused to comply with commands and was initially busted for resisting a public officer.
Inside the victims’ home, investigators discovered the gruesome scene: Kiger and Purvis had been stabbed to death. Hyskell, who lived nearby and knew both victims, was quickly identified as the suspect.
During his first court appearance on Tuesday in Davidson County, the tattooed suspect put on a bizarre show. Handcuffed and smiling, Hyskell interrupted the judge, repeatedly shouting “not guilty” and demanding a “court-appointed attorney.” He laughed at one point as prosecutors laid out the charges.
A judge denied him bond and appointed a capital defender. Hyskell now faces two life sentences if convicted on the murder counts, plus first-degree burglary and resisting an officer.
The shocking case has stunned the tight-knit mobile home community, where neighbors are still trying to process how a dead pet lizard allegedly sparked a double homicide.
Cops say the investigation is ongoing.
