From the Associated Press (11:20 a.m.):
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A jury has convicted two men of murder for shooting three Iowa teenagers at point-blank range while stealing their video game console and cellphones. 23-year-old Daishawn Gills was found guilty Monday of first-degree murder and robbery counts, while 21-year-old Emmanuel Totaye Jr. was found guilty of second-degree murder and robbery counts. A third man, 18-year-old Leontreal Jones, is expected to plead guilty Thursday to two robbery charges in a deal with prosecutors in which he testified against Gills and Totaye, saying they carried out the January 2020 shooting deaths of 19-year-old DeVonte Swanks and his brother, 16-year-old Malachi Swanks, as well as the brothers’ friend, 15-year-old Thayne Wright.
GREELEY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have identified a young girl killed in an eastern Iowa house fire over the weekend. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office tells television station KCRG that 9-year-old Brooklyn Lendt died in the Greeley fire. Firefighters were called to the house just after 3:30 a.m. Saturday, and the caller said there was a child inside the home. Crews later found the body of the girl in the charred remains of the house. Officials believe an electrical issue is the likely cause of the fire. Greeley is located about 60 miles northeast of Cedar Rapids.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by Kansas to revive a law that banned secret filming at slaughterhouses and other livestock facilities but that was struck down by lower courts. The justices did not comment Monday in leaving in place a ruling by a federal appeals court panel that the so-called ag-gag law violated the First Amendment by stifling speech critical of animal agriculture. The Kansas law made it a crime for anyone to take a picture or video at an animal facility without the owner’s consent or to enter the facility under false pretenses. Federal appeals courts considering similar laws in Iowa and Idaho had split over the issue.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa man has been charged with first-degree murder after a deadly shooting at a Des Moines hotel Saturday night. Des Moines Police spokesman Sgt. Paul Parizek said a 54-year-old man was found wounded after the shooting Saturday night, and he died Sunday at a hospital. KCCI reported that the shooting happened in the parking lot of an AmericInn Hotel. Parizek said Eric Lewis Stricklin of West Des Moines was detained at the scene of the shooting and later charged with first-degree murder. The name of the victim was not immediately released Sunday.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Five teenagers charged with fatally shooting a 15-year-old boy and seriously wounding two teenage girls outside a downtown Des Moines high school last month pleaded not guilty in court filings. The teens were to appear in court Friday, but their hearings were called off when their attorneys filed documents indicating their desire to enter a written arraignment and plea of not guilty. Four of them are 17 and one is 18. They have all been charged as adults with murder and attempted murder. A judge set their trial dates for June 27. They’re among 10 teenagers who were arrested after Jose Lopez was killed March 7 in what prosecutors call a hail of gunfire from the occupants of three cars. His sister and her friend were injured.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court says two restaurants cannot collect damages from insurance policies for losing business following the governor’s March 2020 order requiring restaurants to temporarily stop in-person dining amid rising COVID-19 cases. Jesse’s Embers and Wakonda Club, both in Des Moines, sued after their insurers denied coverage and a judge dismissed their lawsuits. The cases likely serve as a lesson to business owners who believe they’ve purchased all-risk insurance for their business thinking it would cover loss of revenue in all instances. Insurers argued there were no physical aspects to the loss so they didn’t have to pay and the court unanimously agreed.
