The Iowa Court of Appeals has reversed one conviction of a man in a Taylor County case and upheld another conviction in the same case. The ruling was with regard to an appeal from Charles Hall, of Chicago, who, in July 2015, was convicted of murder in the first degree and child endangerment causing serious injury.

Authorities on May 22nd, 2015, responded to a 911 call for a child not breathing at 806 Washington Street in Bedford.  Deputies found a 3-year-old girl, Janiya King, unresponsive. She was pronounced dead by the medical examiner. Court documents indicate Janiya had severe burns on her face and right shoulder. The girl had been staying with Hall’s girlfriend in Bedford. April Clair plead guilty to child endangerment resulting in bodily injury. She was charged because she had not sought medical help for the child when she first noticed the abuse.

In an appeal of his convictions, Hall maintained the district court abused its discretion when it denied his motion for mistrial after one of the State’s witnesses vomited outside of the courtroom following a 911 call that was played for the jury.  He also said there was insufficient evidence to support his conviction for child endangerment resulting in serious injury.

After reviewing the record, the Appeals Court said they could not confirm the district court abused its discretion in denying Hall’s motion for mistrial. Therefore, they affirmed his conviction for murder in the first degree. However, the Court found there was insufficient evidence to support Hall’s conviction for child endangerment causing serious injury, and ordered that conviction reversed.

Because the jury necessarily found the State established all the elements of the lesser-included offense of child endangerment causing bodily injury and sufficient evidence supports that conviction, the Appeals Court instructed the district court to enter an amended judgment of conviction and to re-sentence Hall accordingly.