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Jury convicts Sioux City man of murder in fatal stabbing

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March 4th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) ā€” A Sioux City man has been found guilty of second-degree murder. The Daily Nonpareil reports a Pottawattamie County jury found 48-year-old Elias Wanatee, of Sioux City, guilty Friday after eight hours of deliberation.

It was the second trial for Wanatee in the case. His first trial ended in a mistrial in December after Woodbury County jurors couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict. Wanatee’s second trial was moved to Council Bluffs to avoid pretrial publicity.

Authorities say Wanatee stabbed to death 50-year-old Vernon Mace in Sioux on Feb. 17, 2016. Wanatee’s defense attorney had argued that Wanatee acted in self-defense because Mace had threatened him with a firearm weeks before.