Courtesy Photo Josh Wirgau is seen in this photo taken in April 2022 by the Michigan Department of Corrections.

ALPENA — One of two men accused in the deaths of Alpena women Brynn Bills and Abby Hill has agreed to a plea deal, the defendant’s attorney confirmed on Thursday.

Josh Wirgau, 36, has pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and disinterment and mutilation of a body in the death of Bills and involuntary manslaughter in the death of Hill. Charges of first-degree murder and felony firearm will be dropped.

He could face up to 30 years in prison. He originally faced up to life in prison.

With the deal in place, Wirgau is expected to testify against his codefendant, 37-year-old Brad Srebnik, at a trial currently set to begin in January, Srebnik’s attorney, Patrick Cherry said Thursday.

Cherry added he has anticipated a deal could happen and he is prepared for it.

The Michigan Attorney General’s Office has overseen the case and worked alongside Alpena County Prosecutor Cynthia Muszynski during the murder investigation and subsequent court proceedings.

On Thursday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a written statement the deal with Wirgau will bolster the case against Srebnik.

“The defendant pled guilty to significant charges in the tragic murders of these two young women, and with his cooperation the State’s case against the remaining defendant grows stronger,” said Nessel. “I’m grateful for the cooperative investigation and prosecution of these crimes between the Michigan State Police, my department’s prosecutors, and Prosecutor Muszynski and her office. We continue to work toward justice for these victims and this community.”

“I believe this plea will get us one step closer to ensuring justice for these two women,” Muszynski said in the same press release.

Wirgau’s attorney, Rick Stieger, said a sentence agreement that was part of the plea deal will have Wirgau face a minimum 15 years in prison and up to 30 years.

The deal was made official on Thursday morning in Alpena’s 26th Circuit Court.

Beyond confirming the deal and what the sentence guidelines are, Stieger had no comment on the other details of the deal.

Prosecutors allege Srebnik strangled Bills to death and recruited Wirgau to help dispose of the body. Police found her body in Wirgau’s back yard in September 2021.

Prosecutors allege Srebnik, aided by Wirgau, later shot Hill near the Holcim Alpena plant to keep Hill from going to police about Bills’ murder.

Wirgau and Srebnik were arrested in September 2021 and later sentenced to a two-year prison term for an unrelated crime. They have since been released and are currently held in the Alpena County Jail.

Until the deal was struck, it was expected that both men would be tried at the same time, each with his own jury.

Judge Ed Black said doing so would have presented some unique challenges, but he and his staff were exploring options on how best to run the trial and accommodate people on the jury while also making sure the defendants received the fair trial to which they are entitled.

Black said that, now that two juries won’t be needed, putting one together won’t be as difficult as it would have been with a combined trial. He said the media coverage and public interest in the case could impact how hard it is to form a jury, but he is confident he will be able to do so.

Jury selection will be held on Jan. 7 and 8 at the APlex and Black said he intends to select 14 jurors to make sure there are alternates.

“I really won’t know how difficult it will or won’t be until I try to pick the jury,” Black said. “It is going to be better now that we don’t have to pick 28 jurors, and it is still going to be a long process.”

Black said he has no intention of having the jury sequestered during the trial, but he hopes those selected will abide by his orders.

“Sequestration would be hugely expensive and, in my mind, if we give the jury instructions not to do certain things, they will follow those instructions and we’ll move on from there,” the judge said.

The trial date has been pushed back twice already because court transcripts were not available in a timely manner and because an expert firearms witness had died. Black said he hopes another delay won’t be necessary, but he couldn’t rule it out.

“I can’t predict the future and we never know what will happen, but I’m going to do everything I can to have it when it is scheduled,” he said.