A judge in Indiana has rejected a plea agreement in the case of Derek Pixley, a 34-year-old man accused of murdering his girlfriend, Brittney Elizabeth Boman. The decision means the high-profile case will now go to trial later this year.
Pixley was set to plead guilty to reckless homicide and serve six years in prison, with credit for time served reducing his sentence to around three years. However, Clark Circuit Court Judge Nicholas Karaffa dismissed the agreement, finding it “falls outside the range of what the court finds reasonable.”
The case began on October 2, 2022, when Pixley reportedly found Boman shot in the woods near Brownstown Road in Henryville, Indiana. She had been shot in the neck and was rushed to a hospital, where she survived for more than two months before dying on December 30, 2022.
During her time in the hospital, Boman was able to give investigators details about what she remembered. She told them she had gone into the woods to hide from Pixley, her boyfriend, and that when she woke up, she saw him standing over her.
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A spokesperson for Boman’s family said she had been “blinded by a light, heard a shot and she hit the ground … She said she’s seen a bright light in their face, heard a shot and felt a pain and was in and out of consciousness from then on.”
Authorities said Boman had a protective order against Pixley at the time of the shooting. He was arrested in October 2022 for violating the protective order and possession of meth, but it wasn’t until May 2025 that he was arrested again and charged with murder.
Boman’s mother, Shawnee Goodman, spoke out against the proposed plea agreement, saying “He shot at her twice, that’s what’s getting overlooked… He stalked her for days before it happened, that’s not gonna come into court. It was not an accident, and there is no part of reckless homicide that sits well with me.”
Pixley’s trial has been set for November 30. In the meantime, Boman’s family and friends are remembering her as a “country girl at heart” who loved being outdoors and was a huge advocate for children’s literacy.
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The rejection of the plea agreement has significant implications for the trial. The fact that Pixley was willing to plead guilty to reckless homicide, but the judge rejected the agreement, suggests that the court is taking a closer look at the evidence and the circumstances surrounding Boman’s death.
Boman’s obituary describes her as a survivor who loved her family and siblings fiercely. She was an outdoorsy person who enjoyed fishing and could “live off nature if necessary.” Her love for dogs, particularly blue healers, was also notable, and she will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.
The case against Pixley is a reminder of the importance of taking domestic violence seriously and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions. As the trial approaches, more details will emerge about the events leading up to Boman’s death and the circumstances surrounding Pixley’s arrest.
For now, the focus is on remembering Boman and seeking justice for her family. The rejection of the plea agreement is a step towards ensuring that Pixley is held accountable for his actions.
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