GUILTY IA - Sterling Koehn, 4 mos, starved to death, Alta Vista, 30 Aug 2017

[georgiajean]

My daughter was born with 37 weeks and 4 days, and was 3150 gram. When I look back at pictures she looked so tiny and skinny. That is ridiculous for a 4 month old.

That gives me more perspective. A 4 month old, who by all appearances was born healthy and full term, who weighed what your newborn weighed at 2.5 weeks early. I can imagine the sight of Sterling continues to haunt the first responders and coroners. So very painful to think of it.

 

[MarisaS1985]

When something is that size, a pound or two does make a huge difference. I realize you are saying it's terrible either way, but it's really a big deal. To put it in perspective, a healthy kitten weighs 1 lb per every month of life. So if he was 5 pounds, he weighed what a 5 month old kitten would weigh, and he was 4 month old. It just makes it extra horrendous for me when I can compare the size of a 4 month old child to that of a 5 month old kitten.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Sorry, I don't mean that it doesn't make a huge difference if he were say a newborn, it would be huge, a 5lb newborn often has trouble latching, staying awake to nurse, is often more prone to illness/infection, may have respiratory issues and a plethora of other things. He/she may also be perfectly healthy. Some people have full term tiny babies, some people have full term huge ones.

What I meant by it not making a huge difference is in the fact that by his age (4 months) he should have been nearly double his birth weight. Based on his hospital photos, I would say he was at least a 7lb pound newborn, because he is very filled out, and generally speaking, smaller babies aren't as filled out and appear to be "skinny" until they put on a couple of pounds. Especially in their faces and necks. Not always of course, but just a generalization. SO, for a 4 month old, being at or below his birth weight is beyond heinous, regardless of whether he was 7lbs or 5lbs at the time of his death. A baby is expected to lose a few ounces after birth, but generally they are back up to birth weight within 2 weeks, if not sooner. So, assuming he "thrived" for the first 3 or so months of his life, or even the first 7 weeks, he really had to have gone through pain of starving and dehydration and of course further discomfort and lethargy etc as his organs began to shut down, until his heart ceased to beat.
One doesn't have to lose much weight at all to starve to death, but if he had grown properly up until the past week of life (which I personally doubt), he should have been around 14lbs (give or take), meaning he would have lost about 50% of his body weight had he followed a normal growth curve, and if he didn't grow, then he spent months in some form of starvation, basically forcing him to stay small.

Whatever the case, a part of me hopes that they did drug him and that he didn't "feel" the pain his body would have gone through. At least it would have been slightly more humane if he would have been in a sedated state. I realize I haven't seen anything saying this, and I feel horrible for even thinking it would have been better for him

All of this is JMO based on the approx growth link I posted upthread.

 

[Deleted member 158085]

Sorry, I don't mean that it doesn't make a huge difference if he were say a newborn, it would be huge, a 5lb newborn often has trouble latching, staying awake to nurse, is often more prone to illness/infection, may have respiratory issues and a plethora of other things. He/she may also be perfectly healthy. Some people have full term tiny babies, some people have full term huge ones.

What I meant by it not making a huge difference is in the fact that by his age (4 months) he should have been nearly double his birth weight. Based on his hospital photos, I would say he was at least a 7lb pound newborn, because he is very filled out, and generally speaking, smaller babies aren't as filled out and appear to be "skinny" until they put on a couple of pounds. Especially in their faces and necks. Not always of course, but just a generalization. SO, for a 4 month old, being at or below his birth weight is beyond heinous, regardless of whether he was 7lbs or 5lbs at the time of his death. A baby is expected to lose a few ounces after birth, but generally they are back up to birth weight within 2 weeks, if not sooner. So, assuming he "thrived" for the first 3 or so months of his life, or even the first 7 weeks, he really had to have gone through pain of starving and dehydration and of course further discomfort and lethargy etc as his organs began to shut down, until his heart ceased to beat.
One doesn't have to lose much weight at all to starve to death, but if he had grown properly up until the past week of life (which I personally doubt), he should have been around 14lbs (give or take), meaning he would have lost about 50% of his body weight had he followed a normal growth curve, and if he didn't grow, then he spent months in some form of starvation, basically forcing him to stay small.

Whatever the case, a part of me hopes that they did drug him and that he didn't "feel" the pain his body would have gone through. At least it would have been slightly more humane if he would have been in a sedated state. I realize I haven't seen anything saying this, and I feel horrible for even thinking it would have been better for him

All of this is JMO based on the approx growth link I posted upthread.

Oh, yes, I knew what you were saying. It was just another whole level of awful for me.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[Knox]

ALTA VISTA – Parents of a 4-month-old who died of neglect in August have pleaded not guilty to murder and child endangerment charges.

Zachary Paul Koehn, 28, and Cheyanne Renae Harris, 20, avoided courtroom appearances by filing written arraignments and not guilty pleas on Tuesday and Wednesday in Chickasaw County District Court in New Hampton. They also demanded demanded speedy trials.

A trial date hasn’t been set, and both parents remain in custody pending trial.

Koehn is being represented by Steven Drahozal with the Dubuque County Public Defender’s Office, and the Aaron Hawbaker with the Black Hawk County Public Defender’s Office is representing Harris.
http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/cr...cle_70a6e929-8537-579f-9879-1f4a81c908de.html

 

[i8mypaint]

ALTA VISTA – Parents of a 4-month-old who died of neglect in August have pleaded not guilty to murder and child endangerment charges.

Zachary Paul Koehn, 28, and Cheyanne Renae Harris, 20, avoided courtroom appearances by filing written arraignments and not guilty pleas on Tuesday and Wednesday in Chickasaw County District Court in New Hampton. They also demanded demanded speedy trials.

A trial date hasn’t been set, and both parents remain in custody pending trial.

Koehn is being represented by Steven Drahozal with the Dubuque County Public Defender’s Office, and the Aaron Hawbaker with the Black Hawk County Public Defender’s Office is representing Harris.
http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/cr...cle_70a6e929-8537-579f-9879-1f4a81c908de.html

Is pleading not guilty to get out of the death sentence? What?!?!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MarisaS1985]

Is pleading not guilty to get out of the death sentence? What?!?!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Iirc the max sentence is life. I don't think its a death penalty state. Probably hoping to be found guilty of lesser charges OR they think that since they walked around free while the case was being built, that LE doesn't have a strong enough case. Pushing for a quick trial IMO is because they feel they will get out as soon as it's over and don't want to spend more time in jail then possible.

JMO

 

[DakotaMayi]

IA does not have the death penalty.

Plead not guilty? Ok, so whose fault was it? The baby's?

 

[Niner]

So no arraignment hearing on Nov. 14th?? Looks like they both appeared last Tues. & Wed.

TIA!

 

[Knox]

So no arraignment hearing on Nov. 14th?? Looks like they both appeared last Tues. & Wed.

TIA!

See the news story at my link above ...

 

[Grouchymom]

I am not sure which is worse, this sweet baby at 4 mos weighing 7 pounds and a diaper full of maggots or Liam Roberts 6 years old died weighing 17 pounds after fathe and step-mother withheld food from him and at least 1 of his 5 siblings as punishment until he starved to death and his 7 year old sibling was hospitalized with malnutrition. See link below:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...d-after-Liam-Roberts-dies-from-malnourishment

 

[DakotaMayi]

I am not sure which is worse, this sweet baby at 4 mos weighing 7 pounds and a diaper full of maggots or Liam Roberts 6 years old died weighing 17 pounds after fathe and step-mother withheld food from him and at least 1 of his 5 siblings as punishment until he starved to death and his 7 year old sibling was hospitalized with malnutrition. See link below:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...d-after-Liam-Roberts-dies-from-malnourishment

There is just too many. Even one is too many.

 

[bleuboy]

There is just too many. Even one is too many.

Dear god, what is wrong with these people. I would literally starve myself before I let my kids go hungry. I don't know who wouldn't think of their children as precious and do what ever it takes to give them everything they need.

 

[DakotaMayi]

Dear god, what is wrong with these people. I would literally starve myself before I let my kids go hungry. I don't know who wouldn't think of their children as precious and do what ever it takes to give them everything they need.

Me neither, bleu. It's not something I'll ever be able to understand.

 

[bleuboy]

Me neither, bleu. It's not something I'll ever be able to understand.

That's a slow agonizing death to watch. Someone would have to be heartless or evil.

 

[Presley78]

That's a slow agonizing death to watch. Someone would have to be heartless or evil.

Heart wrenching, all of it really. The little boy who was starved to death and weighed 17 lbs looked like he was starving for over a year. On the social media accounts of the despicable “parents” there is a documented history of this poor boys decline in weight. In pictures he’s smiling and posing with friends and family. But his tiny, frail frame looks skeletal even back in August of 2016!!! I just simply do not understand. However these people need to be sent to San Quentin or reopen Alcatraz and starve them to death.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Niner]

Just went to the Iowa courts - Sorry don't know "how" to do a screen shot - but I did copy/paste

Zachary:
ORDER SETTING TRIAL on 11/14/2017
Comments: PRETRIAL CONFERENCE 12/19/2017 11:00 AM 1901.
JURY TRIAL 01/03/2018 09:00 AM 1902.


for Cheyanne:
ORDER SETTING TRIAL on 11/15/2017
Comments: PRETRIAL CONFERENCE 01/16/2018 11:00 AM 1901.
JURY TRIAL 01/31/2018 09:30 AM 1902.


Looks like Zach is getting tried first!

:judge:

 

[altojack]

Just went to the Iowa courts - Sorry don't know "how" to do a screen shot - but I did copy/paste

Zachary:
ORDER SETTING TRIAL on 11/14/2017
Comments: PRETRIAL CONFERENCE 12/19/2017 11:00 AM 1901.
JURY TRIAL 01/03/2018 09:00 AM 1902.


for Cheyanne:
ORDER SETTING TRIAL on 11/15/2017
Comments: PRETRIAL CONFERENCE 01/16/2018 11:00 AM 1901.
JURY TRIAL 01/31/2018 09:30 AM 1902.


Looks like Zach is getting tried first!

:judge:

Thank you Niner, added to my list

 

[Niner]

wrong info...

 

[Knox]

Bumping for Sterling-

 

[Niner]

and another :bump: for today's hearing:

Tuesday, December 19th:
*Pretrial Hearing (@ 11am CT) - IA - Sterling Daniel Koehn (4 mos old) (found Aug. 30, 2017 decomposing & covered in maggots in swing) - Zachary Paul Koehn (28) charged/indicted with 1st degree murder & child endangerment. $100K Cash Bond. Jury trial starts Jan. 3rd @ 9am
Cheyanne Renae Harris (20) "mom" charged/indicted with 1st degree murder & child endangerment. $100K Cash Bond. Pretrial Conf Jan. 16th @ 11am, Jury trial starts Jan. 31st @ 9:30am

:judge: