10 teens, 6 guns, 42 bullets complicate Iowa murder trials
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — From the start, the case stemming from a drive-by shooting death of a 15-year-old boy near a Des Moines high school has been among the most complex prosecutions ever in Iowa's capital city, involving 10 teenagers, six guns and at least 42 fired bullets.
Plea agreements from several defendants have simplified things a bit, but as frequent hearings continue with trials likely beginning in March 2023, the cases remain tangled as attorneys try to shift blame over who fired the shots, who planned the killing and who was just along for the ride.
It all potentially amounts to a series of incredibly complicated trials, said Robert Rigg, a criminal defense lawyer and Drake University law school professor.
“You not only have to worry about what the state is doing, you also have to worry about what the seven other co-defendants are going to do because they could inadvertently get up there and say something very harmful to your case," Rigg said.
The charges all stem from a sunny but chilly day last March when 10 teens ages 14 to 18 climbed into three cars, armed with at least six guns and drove to a neighborhood near East High School, only a half mile from the Iowa Capitol. The specifics of their plan aren't clear, but police say the teens were out to settle a grudge and fired on Jose Lopez, his sister, one of her friends and two other teens standing on a sidewalk nearby.
The gunfire hit Lopez, his sister and their friend, killing Lopez and seriously injuring the girls.
Some of those arrested are believed to be involved in gangs, and Des Moines Police Department spokesman Sgt. Paul Parizek said the killing appeared to be another example of shootings among young people that arise from relatively trivial disputes.
“Rather than having a schoolyard fight or just avoiding that person, this is...