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Jury convicts Iowa woman in death of infant found in swing

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February 6th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — Jurors have found an Iowa woman guilty in the death of her infant son, whose lifeless body was found in a baby swing. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports it took the jury about four hours Wednesday to find 21-year-old Cheyanne Harris guilty of first-degree murder and child endangerment causing death.

Cheyanne Harris talks with her attorney during her court appearance on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019 in Le Mars, Iowa. Harris, the mother of a baby whose lifeless body was found in an infant swing wearing a maggot-infested diaper is standing trial in his death. Court records say Harris has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death. The trial was moved to Le Mars in Plymouth County from Chickasaw County because of publicity. (Jeff Reinitz/The Courier via AP)

The charges stem from the death of 4-month-old Sterling Koehn , whose body was found Aug. 30, 2017, in a maggot-infested diaper at an apartment in Alta Vista. First responders found his body in a sweltering bedroom in a baby swing.

An autopsy shows he died of malnutrition, dehydration and an E. coli infection. First-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. The baby’s father, Zachary Koehn , already has been sentenced to life in prison in the case.