NEW HAMPTON, Iowa (AP) — A court has scheduled separate trials for the Iowa parents of a 4-month-old baby whose maggot-infested body was found in a swing in his family’s home.
Twenty-eight-year-old Zachary Paul Koehn and 20-year-old Cheyanne Renae Harris, both of Alta Vista, have pleaded not guilty to charges of child endangerment and first-degree murder in the death of their son, Sterling Koehn. Koehn’s trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 3 in New Hampton. Harris’ trial is set to begin Jan. 31.
Authorities say deputies and medics called to the couple’s apartment on Aug. 30 found Sterling dead in the swing. A medical examiner found maggots in his clothing and skin that indicated he hadn’t had a diaper change, bath or been removed from the seat in over a week.
The criminal complaint stated: “The facts of this case go far beyond neglect and show circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to human life.”
