DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The Iowa Supreme Court says two men convicted of second-degree murder for their involvement in the mob beating death of a Des Moines man in a downtown parking lot in 2013 will not get new trials.
The court’s ruling Friday says there was sufficient evidence for convictions of James Shorter and Yarvon Russell in the death of 40-year-old Richard Daughenbaugh. The ruling overturns an Iowa Court of Appeals decision last June that said the men should get new trials.
Shorter and Russell, both 22, are serving 50-year sentences.
The court’s ruling leaves an opening for further appeals regarding whether their defense attorneys effectively represented them.
Daughenbaugh was kicked and stomped by a group of young people after arriving uninvited at a parking lot party. He later died of internal injuries.
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