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Iowa Court denies appeal in Pott. County murder case

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June 7th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Court of Appeals has denied an appeal for a new trial in a Pottawattamie County murder case. The court heard an appeal from Jodie Marie Sherman with regard to her bench trial conviction on a charge of second-degree murder. She was convicted of the July 2014 stabbing in Council Bluffs, of Douglas Richt. Richt was stabbed in the neck with a 12-inch knife during an argument in a vehicle, he later died from massive blood loss.

Sherman was initially found incompetent to stand trial due to mental illness. In October 2014, she was sent to the Medical Classification Center in Oakdale for further evaluation. She was found competent to stand trial despite some reservations by a licensed psychologist. During trial, she used the insanity defense but the court but was found guilty. Sherman filed a motion for a new trial, but was denied and appealed the decision.

The Appeals Court affirmed the verdict, ruling that she did not prove her defense of insanity by a preponderance of the evidence, as required by statute. They said the verdict was supported by substantial evidence, and, that the trial court did not commit error by denying Sherman’s request for a new trial.