The Iowa mother of a neglected infant whose corpse was discovered in 2017 wearing a feces-filled, maggot-infested diaper has been sentenced to life behind bars. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Associated Press At the time of Koehn's sentencing in December last year, Assistant Attorney General Denise Timmins said: "Every action the defendant chose to do in that apartment that did not involve caring for [Sterling] was a choice, an act, which lead to (Sterling's) death. Department of Human Services worker Sheila Schroeder testifies Wednesday at the Zachary Koehn murder trial. GRAPHIC CONTENT: Jury sees bloody photos from the FAMILY MASSACRE MURDER TRIAL crime scene. And the Child Death Review Team, operating out of the Iowa State Medical Examiners Office, showed that caregivers involved in drug use or altercations mostly caused the seven homicides they investigated in 2013. Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. was found guilty of those charges in November. He made the comment he needed to find it before anyone else did, the friend told jurors. Among the mourners at Saturday's vigil will be ZachKoehns brother Danny, who said he knew the couple had drug problems. Are hospitals mandatory abuse reporters? he asked. reply | flag message 3: by Fishface (new) Sep 28, 2019 10:01AM hitType: 'event', She told the agent of Sterling: "I should have checked on him more," the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported. Autopsy photos showed that Sterling, who had on tiny camouflage pants and a shirt with a cartoon cow on it when he died, had blood coming out of his mouth. "And she knew then that there was nothing she could do to save Sterling.". Koehn reportedly made $450,000 a year and even had access to health insurance but witnesses told the court that the apartment had smelt of urine, feces, and general decay. Agent John Turbett with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation interviewed Zachary Koehn following Sterling Koehns death. Then, see some truly haunting murder scenes from the streets of old New York. }); Also Wednesday, Sterlings maternal grandmother recalled the brief time she spent with her infant grandson. Testimony about the test came out briefly Wednesday as a child protective worker for the Iowa Department of Human Services took the stand at the murder trial of Sterling's father, 29-year-old . From the summer of 1979 to 1981, over 27 young black males were killed in the Atlanta area. Zachary Koehn and Cheyanne Harris of. He is charged with murder in the death of his infant son in August 2017. Also during the DCI interview, Koehn said he had never changed a diaper and occasionally gave Sterling a bottle those were normally Cheyanne Harris responsibilities, and he cared for the daughter, he said. window.adsContainer = {"positionAfterTitle":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position2":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position3":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Below_Next_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position4":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position5":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle1_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position6":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle2_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position7":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle3_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position8":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle4_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position9":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position10":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle6_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position11":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle7_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position12":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle8_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position13":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle9_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position14":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle10_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position15":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle11_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position16":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle12_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"positionTop":{"code":"Article_Desktop_970x250_Header_Rel","isOrganicUserAd":false,"max_width":970,"max_height":250},"positionBottom":{"code":"Article_Desktop_Sidebar_Bottom_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":300,"max_height":600},"positionBottomRight":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280}} He noted that Koehn's 2-year-old daughter was also in the apartment and was healthy, and that Koehn had money to buy food and baby supplies. I was terrified I'd be one of them. You can cancel at any time. Authorities said the babys feces inside his diaper seeped through his skin, causing an E. coli bacteria build-up in his bloodstream. let gads_event; But I told him, No, people do that all the time. https://t.co/X6aN2MV79W. Tragic and Disturbing Cases of Child Abuse, Five Things Parents Should Know To Prevent Child Sex Abuse, Body of Missing Illinois Child AJ Freund Found, Parents Charged. Chickasaw County sheriff's deputiesfound the boy's body in a bedroom separate from where Koehn, Harris and their olderchild slept. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports 21-year-old Cheyanne Harris caused a break in her trial Wednesday at the Plymouth County Courthouse in Le Mars. Simpson was acquitted at trial, but he is still believed by many to be guilty. The state medical examiner determined the boy's death was a homicide; his cause of death was listed as failure to provide critical care. Sterling was an active baby and appeared to be developing, the grandmother said. [Feature Photo: Sterling Koehn & Cheyenne Harris/Police Handout], Florida Man Convicted of Abusing & Murdering Months-Old Son, Found with Severe Internal Injuries, Isabel Celis: Jury Deadlocks in Trial of Man Who Allegedly Murdered Two Young Arizona Girls, Alex Murdaugh Begins Prison Sentence With New Haircut. But state officials said they didnt learn of the test until after the baby died. Zachary Koehn, flanked by defense attorneys Les Blair and Steven Drahozal, listens to testimony on Tuesday. The trial was moved to Mount Pleasant from Chickasaw County on a change of venue. She told him Sterling was dead. Harris cried in courtafter prosecutors showed the jury crime scene photographs. McAllister denied the defense's claims, saying Koehn was an experienced parent. Harris, who moved in with her mother in Riceville, Iowa, after Sterling's death,is also is being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder. State prosecutor Creighton Waters, describing what he said was the scene when Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were fatally shot, said Maggie Murdaugh saw what happened to Paul and came "running to her . Sterling's diaper rash was so severe to the extent that it led to the development of open wounds on his skin. } MOUNT PLEASANT A former Alta Vista man has been found guilty in the 2017 neglect death of his infant son. Police said they found everything needed to care for the child, including new diapers and baby ointment to treat the rash, inside the home, The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports. The comments below have not been moderated, By MOUNT PLEASANT Zachary Paul Koehn took the stand Friday to challenge charges he is responsible for his infant sons death from neglect in 2017. Sterling was found dead in Koehn and Harris' Hilltop Avenue apartment Aug. 30, 2017, after Koehn placed a 911 call saying the child had died. In charging documents, a deputy wrote that the case facts "go far beyond neglect.". Cheyanne Harris is charged with murder in the death of her 4-month-old son, whose maggot-infested body was found in a baby swing in the family's home. Another convict named Tara told Dooley, Yeah theyll f*** with her a lot [because of what shes in here for]. When the presenter asked her if the abuse will continue, Tara said: Oh yeah. ga('ads.send', { "The monster, in this case, is mental health," Watt said, telling jurors they would not hear evidence of typical child abuse injuries, such as broken bones or bruises. There was blood coming out of his mouth and his fists were clenched when police arrived on the scene at an apartment in Alta Vista. The boy's mother, Cheyanne Harris, is also charged and faces a separate trial at a later date. Zachary Koehn at a pretrial conference in Chickasaw County District Court in New Hampton in March. Father Mark Murphy of St. Bernards Catholic Church here said he doesnt know if any message will help citizens feel better, but gathering together to say goodbye to the child will. Cheyanne Harris, at left, and Zachary Koehn: Parents plead not guilty in Alta Vista child death, Trial date set for father in child death case, Zachary Koehn sentenced in infant son's death, Zachary Koehn asks for new trial in baby's death, GUILTY: Jury convicts Zachary Koehn in baby's neglect death, Zachary Koehn tells his side in death of baby Sterling, Koehn murder trial: Defense begins case in baby's death, Koehn murder trial: Warning signs started as early as slain baby's birth, Transcript of the 911 call on Baby Sterling Koehn's death, Prosecutor: Infant died of diaper rash (Warning: graphic content). MOUNT PLEASANT A former Alta Vista man has been found guilty in the 2017 neglect death of his infant son. The grandmother told jurors Sterling was born in May 2017 in a bathtub of a friends house because he arrived one or two weeks early. You can cancel at any time. The mother of the late singer-rapper Aaron Carter released photos of the scene of his death Wednesday, calling for a "real . Zachary Koehn, center, is flanked by attorneys Les Blair III and Steven Drahozal during the first day of testimony in his first-degree murder trial in Henry County Tuesday. eventAction: 'view' Zachary Koehn sentenced in infant son's death, Zachary Koehn asks for new trial in baby's death, GUILTY: Jury convicts Zachary Koehn in baby's neglect death, Zachary Koehn tells his side in death of baby Sterling, Koehn murder trial: Defense begins case in baby's death, Koehn murder trial: Warning signs started as early as slain baby's birth, Transcript of the 911 call on Baby Sterling Koehn's death, Prosecutor: Infant died of diaper rash (Warning: graphic content). Michael OHara, a psychology professor, said it appeared Cheyanne Harris suffered from depression. "If I hadn't been high on meth, it never would have happened. But she said Harris, who reported last using methweeks before the death, had no ill will toward Sterling. Jan 26, 2019 See more ideas about serial killers, crime scene, crime scene photos.. . Zachary Koehn, left, talks with defense attorney Steven Drahozal during trial Wednesday. EDITORS NOTE: This article contains graphic content. Cheyanne Harris, 22, showed no emotion after she was sentenced yesterday. pg.acq.push(function() { Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. #CheyanneHarris - Harris's reaction when judge read the verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree. ga('ads.send', { eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), EDITORS NOTE: This article contains graphic content. Zachary Paul Koehn, 29, of Alta Vista, was convicted in under two hours and received a mandatory prison sentence of life without parole for the child endangerment that caused the death of four-month-old Sterling Koehn. Zachary Koehn tells his side in death of baby Sterling Koehn murder trial: Defense begins case in baby's death Koehn murder trial: Warning signs started as early as slain baby's birth. Clark, who worked for another trucking company hauling chickens, told jurors he knew Koehn had a daughter because he talked about her. ZachKoehn had another daughter, who is nearly 2, with Harris when they lived about 15 miles away in Riceville, Harris'hometown. The young mother sat quietly as she was sentenced, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports. A coroner's report showed the baby died of malnutrition, dehydration and the infection. It will damage trust in people who move to town, often seeking cheaper rent, said Boehmer at the library. MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. Schoeder said methamphetamine use is a hazard because it can lead to bad parenting decisions. He was extremely neglected," she said in the documentary, which aired on BBC Two on April 19 night.Dooley later explained in the documentary that not all murderers are equal in jail. Jordan Clark told jurors he had been Zachary Koehns apartment in 2017 but didnt know he had a baby. Harris, along with the babys father,29-year-old Zachary Paul Koehn, failed to take care of their infant son, yet still provided care for their oldest child, a toddler. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. The OJ Simpson trial may have eclipsed the crime scene itself, but the photos of Nicole Brown are not for the faint of heart. Subscribe to the Des Moines Register. Initially, the boy's father, Zachary Koehn, claimed his son died from sudden infant death syndrome. Now both his parents will spend the rest of their lives behind bars. Here is a transcript of the 911 call to dispatchers the day Sterling Koehn, 4 months, of Alta Vista, was found deceased at home. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The deputy began preserving evidence, the prosecutor said, because by then, "little Sterling Koehns body was a crime scene.". Cheyanne Harris was sentenced to life behind bars without the possibility of parole in February 2019 after her son's body was found on a baby swing in a sweltering bedroom covered in a urine-soaked blanket, wearing a maggot-infested diaper. The emergency medical technician was at homewhen she receivedthe call of an infant in distress in Alta Vista, a small city in northeast Iowa. Many photos were taken of the crime scene, and they were shown in court to help make a verdict easier. Kim Theis, a person who lives in a nearby town did attend the sentencing while wearing a ribbon to honor Sterling Koehn. Autopsy photographs appeared to show the boy wearing camouflage pants and a shirt with a cartoon cow above the words "let's play" bleeding from the mouth. A babysitter testifiedthe infant had a raw diaper rash and seemed underweight, but ate hungrily, the Courier reported. He said the child was grabbing his fingers. The resulting diaper rash led to ruptured skin, and e.Coli bacteria set in. Market data provided by Factset. 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