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Sioux City man sentenced to 50 years for stabbing death

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April 27th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City man found guilty last month of second-degree murder for the stabbing death of another man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison. Sioux City television station KTIV reports 48-year-old Elias Wanatee was sentenced Thursday in Pottawattamie County for the February 2016 death of 50-year-old Vernon Mace, his girlfriend’s uncle. Officials say Wanatee will be eligible for parole in 35 years.

The sentence followed the second trial for Wanatee in the case. His first 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.

Wanatee had argued that he acted in self-defense, saying Mace had threatened him with a gun weeks before.