Orange City, Iowa — A Hull man charged with attempted murder and arson has changed his plea to guilty as part of a plea agreement.
According to the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office, their dispatch received several 911 calls about a disturbance at 5th and Division Streets in Hull on Monday, October 14, 2024.
The sheriff’s office says that when deputies got there, they discovered three people had been involved in a disturbance, with two of those people having stab wounds.
Both victims were transported by the Hull Ambulance to Sioux Center Health for treatment of their injuries. They tell us deputies were able to apprehend one suspect, identified as 28-year-old Jorge Gomez-Badillo of Hull.
Deputies later reported heavy black smoke coming from a residence at 1429 Division Street, near the original incident. Fire Departments from Hull and Rock Valley responded to and extinguished a fire that appeared to have started in a bedroom of the home. Deputies say they suspect the fire may have been intentionally started before the disturbance by Gomez-Badillo.
Gomez-Badillo originally faced two counts of attempted murder and charges of first-degree burglary, second-degree arson, assault while participating in a felony, assault while participating in a felony – serious injury, willful injury causing serious injury, wilful injury causing bodily injury.
The attempted murder charges would have been class B felony counts, as would the first-degree burglary charge. Second-degree arson is a class C felony, as are assault while participating in a felony – serious injury and willful injury causing serious injury. Straight assault while participating in a felony and willful injury causing bodily injury are both class D felonies. If convicted, Gomez-Badillo could have faced 25 years in prison on each class B count, ten years on each class C felony count, and five years on each class D felony count, for a total maximum sentence of 115 years if ordered to serve the sentences consecutively.
According to court records, he has agreed to plead guilty to second-degree arson and willful injury causing serious injury, both class C felonies, and willful injury causing bodily injury, a class D felony.
He faces a sentencing hearing on March 3rd.
