Koehn told a 911 dispatcher that Sterling died from sudden infant death syndrome, but an autopsy proved otherwise. One of the crime scenes from the John Collins murder series. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, JEFF REINITZ / Courier Staff Photographer, UPDATE: Zachary Koehn murder case begins Tuesday, UPDATE: Prosecutor: Infant died of diaper rash (Warning: graphic content), Koehn murder trial: Warning signs started as early as slain baby's birth (PHOTOS), UPDATE: Koehn murder trial: Defense begins case in baby's death, UPDATE: GUILTY in under an hour: Jury convicts Zachary Koehn in baby death (PHOTOS), Mother waives speedy trial in Alta Vista infant death, Trial set for Iowa mom in death of maggot-infested baby, Jury selection to begin for mother in infant death trial, Jury seated in trial for mother in Alta Vista infant death, Attorneys for Cheyanne Harris seek to throw out conviction, Community gathering to remember Sterling Koehn, the neglected baby of Alta Vista, Court of Appeals uphold murder conviction in baby Sterling case, UPDATE: GUILTY: Jury convicts Zachary Koehn in baby's neglect death, UPDATE: Zachary Koehn sentenced in infant son's death, Defense attorneys challenge jury pool in Chickasaw Co. child death trial, Moms postpartum depression may be dad's murder defense (PHOTOS), Infant fatal neglect trial moved to Henry County, Court considers moving, delaying trials in neglect death, Mom of baby found dead may plead intoxication, Dad accused of leaving his baby to die in baby swing has trial delayed (PHOTOS). Zachary Koehn, center, is flanked by attorneys Les Blair III and Steven Drahozal, as he sits in court Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018 in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. On August 30, 2017, Zachary Koehn called 911 after finding Sterling deceased in ahot a bedroom with closed windows in their Alta Vista apartment. Shocking crime scene photos from the Aurora movie theater shooting and the killer's booby-trapped home were released by the Colorado District Attorney's office. , updated https://t.co/X6aN2MV79W. }) "Hopefully, we can bring awareness to child abuse and neglect," she said. The Iowa mother of a neglected infant whose corpse was discovered in 2017 wearing a feces-filled, maggot-infested diaper has been sentenced to life behind bars. He called to tell her about the birth, and she told him to call an ambulance, she said. Market data provided by Factset. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Jurors also heard from a former friend of Koehns, Jordan Clark, who developed a relationship with Cheyanne Harris following Sterlings death. Forensic entomologist Timothy Huntington said maggots developing in Sterling's clothing indicated his diaper had been on for nine to 13 days. Cheyanne Harris, 21, caused a break in her trial after seeing tragic Sterling Koehn dead in the swing in a dark, sweltering bedroom, according to reports. Charges were dismissed when he agreed to make restitution to the city. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Koehn's attorney had said the baby's death was a tragedy, but not a crime. I was so angry I felt I needed to do something, said Kim Judge of nearby Elma, Iowa, who organized the gathering. Her mother had been recently widowed and it's a fair question to ask how much one person can stand. An autopsy found the infant was underweight at 3kg. All rights reserved. He said he never had any clue they had a young baby living in the home. Charlie then left the scene, while the killers committed their savage acts. I wasn't. Zachary Koehn, left, enters the courtroom for sentencing on Tuesday. Now both his parents will spend the rest of their lives behind bars. You wouldnt be filming her. In response, Harris said herself sarcastically: Oh yeah, this is gonna be fun.. Harris' defendertold jurors Wednesday at thePlymouth County Courthouse in Le Mars that they may wonder: "What kind of monster could do something like this?" At the beginning of the trial,a public defender representingHarris said while Sterling's death is a tragedy, it was not a plannedmurder. Body as found Body as found Body as found Body turned over for view eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), ADes Moines Registerinvestigation earlier this year showed that 11 children died in 2016 from suspected abuse. Zachary Koehn, flanked by defense attorneys Les Blair and Steven Drahozal, listens to testimony on Tuesday. let gads_event; They may have paranoia, they may have irregular sleep patterns, which results in neglect to the child. Dr. Lora Darrisaw, the GBI Pediatric Crime Unit director and a forensic pathologist, conducted the autopsy on the baby and explained what was seen in photos taken at the autopsy. Zachary Koehn, 29, of Alta Vista, testified on his own behalf Nov. 2 in Henry County District Court in Mount Pleasant. The child's parents have been charged with murder after their 4-month-old son, Sterling Daniel Koehn, was found dead last summer, weighing less than 7 pounds and in a diaper that hadn't been. Koehn worked evening and overnight hours, departing from Charles City to farms in Minnesota, Wisconsin and southern Iowa. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); media-tech companies with hubs around the world. [Feature Photo: Sterling Koehn & Cheyenne Harris/Police Handout], Florida Man Convicted of Abusing & Murdering Months-Old Son, Found with Severe Internal Injuries, Isabel Celis: Jury Deadlocks in Trial of Man Who Allegedly Murdered Two Young Arizona Girls, Alex Murdaugh Begins Prison Sentence With New Haircut. LE MARS Prosecutors will begin presenting their case today against a former Alta Vista woman charged in the death of her infant son in August 2017. "The monster, in this case, is mental health," Nichole Watt said. Harris, 21, was charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death after Sterling diedof malnutrition, dehydration and infection. Zachary Paul Koehn enters the courtroom for a conference Tuesday. },false) window.adsContainer = {"positionAfterTitle":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position2":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position3":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Below_Next_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position4":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position5":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle1_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position6":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle2_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position7":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle3_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position8":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle4_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position9":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position10":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle6_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position11":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle7_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position12":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle8_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position13":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle9_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position14":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle10_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position15":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle11_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position16":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle12_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"positionTop":{"code":"Article_Desktop_970x250_Header_Rel","isOrganicUserAd":false,"max_width":970,"max_height":250},"positionBottom":{"code":"Article_Desktop_Sidebar_Bottom_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":300,"max_height":600},"positionBottomRight":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280}} At trial,Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Agent Chris Callaway testified Harris questioned her maternal care during an interview. Both were in treatment for substance abuse. An Iowa couple has been charged in the death of their 4-month-old son, who was found covered in maggots in a baby swing inside their apartment, police say. Simpson was acquitted at trial, but he is still believed by many to be guilty. Nurse and first responder Toni Friedrich testifies in the trial of Zachary Koehn on Tuesday. (Photo: Chickasaw County Sheriff's Office). dining dining Letters Events. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Defense attorney Steven Drahozal, left, and Zachary Paul Koehn during for a conference on Tuesday, May 22, 2018. Thecase was not one of the parents lacking adequate resources to care for their children, prosecutors have said. hitType: 'event', The hot room he was in attracted flies, which laid eggs that hatched into maggots while Sterling was alive; they crawled in his clothes and his diaper for days,prosecutors said. 4 Was the Department of Human Services aware of the test result of the umbilical cord test prior to your involvement on Aug. 30, 2017? McAllister asked. When she moved his blanket, gnats flew up, she said. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! An autopsy shows he died of malnutrition, dehydration and an E. coli infection caused by being left in a maggot-infested diaper for up to two weeks. The couple's daughter Sterling Skye, 1, was one . MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. I honestly think he will spend the rest of his life in prison, Danny Koehn said. The trial was moved to Mount Pleasant from Chickasaw County on a change of venue. Yes, Schroeder responded. When the. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Clark said he, Koehn and Cheyanne Harris smoked meth, and Koehn bought $20 to $40 worth of meth from him on a weekly basis. You can cancel at any time. Harris public defender, Nichole Watt, fought the murder charges during trial and instead, said Harris should be found guilty only of child endangerment. They have an 11-month-old child and knew the couple also had a baby but never saw the child nor the father. He said the last time he gave Sterling a bottle was a few weeks prior. The medical examiner ruled the child's death a homicide by failure to provide critical care. Chickasaw County sheriff's deputiesfound the boy's body in a bedroom separate from where Koehn, Harris and their olderchild slept. Father guilty of murder in the death of Sterling Koehn, 'He chose to do nothing': Dad gets life in prison for murder, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. "So Im not saying hes innocent.. Assistant Attorney General Denise Timmins delivers closing arguments in the trial of Zachary Koehn. The new doc saw 33-year-old Stacey visit a controversial women's prison in Iowa, which seeks to . At first glance, the . An Iowa woman charged in the death of her baby left the courtroom sobbing during the first day of her trial when prosecutors showed photos of her lifeless son in a swing set. The Waterloo-Cedar. Photographing the room, a deputysaw scuttle flies as he moved a blanket off Sterling's body,McAllister said. On that day, two middle school students, Maureen Sterling (left above) and Yvonne Weber (right above), went missing. Their son, Sterling Daniel Koehn, was found dead Aug. 30. He died of malnutrition, dehydration and an E. coli infection caused by being left in a maggot-infested diaper for up to two weeks. }) Koehn is said to have made $45,000 a year and had access to health insurance but witnesses told the court the apartment smelt of urine, feces and decay. The pair, both aged 12 and students at Herbert Slater Middle School, spent their last night alive hanging out . He also admitted using meth a couple of times a week and giving Cheyanne Harris his leftovers, Schroeder said. "You're not going to hear any evidence that she's evil; that's because she's not evil.". The jury took fours hours to deliberate before returning with a guilty verdict. Cheyanne Harris, at left, and Zachary Koehn: Parents plead not guilty in Alta Vista child death, Trial date set for father in child death case, Zachary Koehn sentenced in infant son's death, Zachary Koehn asks for new trial in baby's death, GUILTY: Jury convicts Zachary Koehn in baby's neglect death, Zachary Koehn tells his side in death of baby Sterling, Koehn murder trial: Defense begins case in baby's death, Koehn murder trial: Warning signs started as early as slain baby's birth, Transcript of the 911 call on Baby Sterling Koehn's death, Prosecutor: Infant died of diaper rash (Warning: graphic content). Michael OHara, a psychology professor, said it appeared Cheyanne Harris suffered from depression. Harris was expected to useintoxication ordiminished responsibility as a defense, indicating in court records an Ames psychologistmay serve as a witness. S. Murphy Incident No. The OCCL has grown from a one-man operation in 1948 to its present day staff of 140 technical and support personnel. Zachary Koehn, 29, of Alta Vista, is led out of the Henry County Courthouse after he was found guilty of murder and child endangerment Tuesday. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { Court hears how four-month-old boy's maggot-infested body was found in a baby swing after he went unchanged for a week and died of extreme 'diaper rash' as his father faces trial for murder Cheyanne Renae Harris, 20, and Zachary Paul Koehn, 28, were arrested on charges of first-degree murder and child endangerment. Nichole Watt, a Waterloopublic defender representingHarris, said while Sterling's death is a tragedy, it was not a plannedmurder. Prosecutor Coleman McAllister delivers openings on Tuesday. You have permission to edit this collection. Sterling Koehn died of neglect and was left to rot in a feces-filled, maggot-infested diaper. Autopsy photographs appeared to show the boy wearing camouflage pants and a shirt with a cartoon cow above the words "let's play" bleeding from the mouth. MOUNT PLEASANT -- A former Alta Vista man has been found guilty in the 2017 neglect death of his infant son. Chickasaw County Sheriff's Office. }); The Courier reports that on Wednesday, a jury foundCheyanne Harris, 21, guilty of first-degree murder and child endangerment, in connection with the 2017 death of her infant son, Sterling Koehn. Zachary Koehn, center, stands with his attorneys as the verdict was read Tuesday in the Henry County Courthouse in Mount Pleasant. Tragic and Disturbing Cases of Child Abuse, Five Things Parents Should Know To Prevent Child Sex Abuse, Body of Missing Illinois Child AJ Freund Found, Parents Charged.