Joel Kessler

JEFFERSON COUNTY — A 45-year-old Imperial man was found shot to death inside of a rural Jefferson County home Monday after the shooter told police he believed the victim was exuding "wickedness." The deceased has been identified as Joel Kessler, said Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak. According to investigators, Kessler and an unnamed woman arrived at Caleb Hawkins' home south of Hillsboro, near Victoria Glades Conservation Area, around midnight on Monday. Thirty-minutes later, police say, Kessler was dead. Once inside Hawkins' home, Kessler and the woman initially sat with him in the living room. Then, police say that Hawkins left the room and went into another part of the house under the guise of getting a set of keys, but instead retrieved a 9mm Mossberg firearm, and returned to the living room. Hawkins then embraced the woman in a hug and then began firing at Kessler, police say. In an interview with police, Hawkins said he let the two inside his home, but immediately believed the victim exuded "wickedness" and that the Kessler's body language was "evil." "Caleb said (the man) was trying to get to him to kill him even though he already knew he needed to be killed," investigators wrote in court documents. Hawkins reportedly told police that he fired multiple shots at the victim, shooting him "until he believed the wickedness was gone" and the man had fallen to the floor. Hawkins and Kessler did not know one another. Hawkins has been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.