nicholas luerkens allegedly made to kill lynnsey donald and what his parents say triggeged the rampage. rampage.plus...turning the page."i see people that want to be engaged in the community."only on cbs 2 news, how a neighborhood known for image problem. problem.and...moving forward. "i"iaven't been this upset about a city happening in a long"the changes coming to the cedar rapids public library after a tax levy fails to gain support. support.now, the corridor's top stories and tomorrow's weather forecast in the first ten minutes. this is cbs 2 news 10 at 10. it was another day of graphic testimony in the trial of nicholas luerkens. today, prosecutors rested their case in the first degree murder trial. trial.luerkens is accused of stabbing lynnsey donald in the marion hy-vee parking lot.her son was with her at ththtime of the stabbing. stabbing.today, those who knew donald told the jury about luerkens' alleged pattern of investigators also prented evidence of ramblings in a notebo luererns had made after the couple's relationship ended. "there's a little star off to the left and it sa

below that, again in large letters it says f--- life and 'lynnsey dies.'" dies.'"the defense says mixing alcohol and anti-depressants made luerkens more susceptible to violence. they continue their testimony today at 9. this trial is expected to wrap up by the end of the week.be sure to tune in to the cbs 2 news evening newscasts tonight, to see what happens today in court. four stabbing victims are recovering this morning, after another act of violence on a college campus.now the construction worker, who many believe distracted the suspect long enough to prevent t y victims from dying, is s ying at first, he thought it was just a fight. fight."i went to open the door to break it up and see if everybody was ok and they all screamed run when i opened the door." door."byron price was then himself stabbed by the male college student.it all happened wednesday morning at the university of california, merced.the suspect fled from the room and was later shot and killed by lice. authorities are investigating a motive. an arrest has been made in sacramento, sacramento,in th

authorities say he stabbed lynnsey donald to death in the marion hy vee parking lot in april. he then tried to kill himself. kcrg-tv9's dave franzman has been in court all morning and has more on today's proceedings. dave...the defense is claiming diminished capacity. who were the witnesses today? ashley, several members of luerkens family along with a close family friend took the stand. and all told the jury of disturbing and strange behavior leading up to the day of the stabbing. both luerkens brother and sister talked about changes in nicholas luerkens' personality. they said he became obviously more depressed after the loss of his job and breakup with lynnsey donald. one family friend, who works with people receiving mental health treatment from the abbe center, personally witnessed the changes in luerkens. when the defendant's parents came to talk, he recommended a mental health commitment. " i would recommend that they would look at committal for nick... commital is when someone is harmful to themselves or others. and i believe his judgement was impaired as well. " decam

luerkens is on trial for the april stabbing death of 29 year old lynnsey donald at the hy-vee parking lot in marion. police say the victim, an ex- girlfriend, was stabbed dozens of times in front of witnesses and her own son. kcrg-tv9's dave franzman is live at the courthouse. dave, what were the key points in closing arguments? beth, linn county attorney jerry vander sanden told jurors to just believe their eyes and ears. surveillance video captured the knife attack and witnesses heard what the defendant said. but defense attorney david grinde said that evidence wasn't the whole story. the prosecution told jurors the action of the defendant couldn't be clearer. he replayed a 10 minute video of the knife attack and read portions of luerkens journal in which he made a "to do" list that included killing lynnsey. the defense emphasized the evidence that showed luerkens suffered from a major depressive disorder. the defense wants jurors to consider a lesser charge. "there's no hesitation, no waffling the is passed. just vicious, just brutal " "he obviously suffers from a mental illness, a

lynnsey donald was stabbed to death in the marion hy-vee parking lot in april. a man is at the university of iowa hospitals and clinics after he was hit by a car. waterloo plice say it happened while he was walking across university avenue in the 4 thousand block around 1 this morning. police don't plan on charging the driver. let's go back to joe now for a final look at tonight's forecast. after a quiet night with lows in the 50s, clouds build through the morning. we won't have any fog worries, but we will be on the lookout for rain. showers and isolated thunderstorms develop in the afternoon and continue into the night. friday looks dry but cooler as highs fall into the lower 50s. a more typical november weekend is ahead with highs in the 50s and lows near or below freezing. tonight: partly cloudy low: 52-58 winds: sw 10-15tomorrow: pm showers likely high: 62-68 winds: s 10-20 thank you, joe, and thank you for joining us for kcrg-tv9 news at 5.

writing about killing lynnsey donald days before her murder. also today, luerkens' lawyers said he lost his job late last year... which led to a string of events leading up to the murder. luerkens lost his job at go-daddy... in 2014 after his lawyer said he missed a few hours of work... which luerkens claims was approved. his attorneys also sa he ststrted inking to deal with losing his job. that's when lynnsey donald... his girlfriend whom he was living with... moved out. luerkens' lawyers say this caused him to become suicidal. uerkens' lawyer said his family was planning an intervention for his strange behavior... but the murder happened before they could do so. election night has come and gone, but we're not done with electioo 2015 coverage... two of eastern iowa's mayoral races are down to a run off. in waterloo...none of the ccdidates recieeed more thann 50 percent of the vote. so the two candidates receiving the most votes -- councilman quentin hart and former mayor tim hurley in cedar falls... theee were three people on yesterday's ballo

he's accused of stabbing and killing 29-year-old lynnsey donald - in front of her seven year old son... donald was stabbed as she was walking out of the marion hy-vee in the middle of the afternoon in april... the first homicide in marion in seven years. kwwl's hillary maglin was in the court room today... hillary what can you tell us? both prosecution and defense presented their closing statements to the jury after several days of testimony here in linn county. prosecutors again showed evidence... such as the murder weapon and notebook full of luerkens' plans... as well as video of the incident. defense re-stated their claim that luerkens was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the murder and (sot. cg: prosecution) "there came a time when the defendant handwriting." (sot. cg: defense) "nick's pain and the killing of lynnsey, i submit to you, were the result of a mind that has become sick and impaired, and made nick unrecognizable." prosecutors say luerkens tried to take his own life after the stabbing because he didnt want to go to jail... proving he knew his actions were

he is accused of stabbing lynnsey donald in a marion hy-vee parking lot last spring. yesterday, a marion police officer testified that he found a journal at luerkens apartment with a "to-do" list that included killing donald. cedar rapids library officials are trying to figure out where to make cuts for next year's budget. voters rejected a proposed tax levy on tuesday. the library says it will close one day a week, and it could close early some nights. it could also cut jobs. the iowa defense will have saturday in bloomington against the top offense in the big 10. here's more with coach ferentz. michigan state linebacker said indiana's offense was better than oregon's. he it was simple but it was so fast paced and they had so much team speed. have you seen that on film. i agree with that to your point coach wilson has always been an up tempo guy and they do it very well. quarterback knows how to make things work and they have good players at every position. the offensive line doesn't a great job qb and rb are very good players they are a big threat. is this the best

lynnsey." "there's a lot more to this case than just a video and a journal. i have to point out during those 33 minutes of the prosecutors osing, there was not one word about a mental disease or illness." illness."deliberations resume monday at nine a-m.covering the corridor in cedar rapids, now an update to a storyrybs 2 news broke in october. the iowa state trooper who shot at a car in riverside has been cleared of any wrong-doing. the iowa attorney general's office now says t t trooper was stified because another officer's safety was in jeopardy.the shooting followed a high speed chase that ended at gas station.that's w(ere the driver of the car rammed into a johnson county deputy's squad car.the trooper shot out the car's back tire to keep the suspects from getting away. officers arrested three people that day. another big night of high school football could require some extra layers. chief meteorologist terry swails is here now with a first look your cbs 2 'weather right now, investigators are trying to figure out what sparked a major fire that destroyed

(cg: steve donald/ lynnsey's father) "we will all miss that loving contagious smile and friendly loving soul forever and that his son ashton as you know will never havv his mommy again, s sany and all help for this little boy would greatly be appreciated." if you want to hear more from lynnsey's father, the full statement will be on our website kwwl.com we've got you covered live in cedar rapids, kristin rogers ...kwwl news. nicholas luerkens will be sentenced on january 8th h faces a mandatory life prison term and no chance for parole. let's go to storm track seven chief meteorologist mark schnackenberg now who is tracking some storms that will be here in the middle of weathererinformation. here is additional forecast information from the kwwl stormtrack 7 weather team: the sky remains clear tonight with temperatures dropping into the upper 20s to around 30 by morning. tuesday is going to be to upper 50s. we are tracking a large torm forecast to move across the iowa wednesday. rain and storms will spread across the area wednesday and taper off late wednesday night. wednesda night throu

the trial is over, but lynnsey's dad says the effects are eternal. eternal."one thing i want people to remember about lynnsey is that we will all miss that loving, contagious smile and friendly, loving soul forever. her son ashton, as you know, will never have his mommy again so any and all help for this little boy will greatly be appreciated." luerkens sentencing date is set for january 8-th.covering the corridor in cedar rapids, dora miller cbs 2 news. one person is dead and another recovering from injuries after a motorcycle crash in iowa city. city.it happened on rohret road southwest late friday night. deputies say 26- year-old ian leeang lost control of the bike and slid into a ditch.he was taken to a hospital, where he died.a passenger suffered injuries in the crash. deputies say they the corridor is now home to one of the top cancer detection machines. machines.the p-c-i medical pavillion is installing the only g-e discovery pet- c-t scanner in the state. state.cbs 2 news reporter steffi lee explains what sets this device apart from other technology. t

stabbed his ex girlfriend lynnsey donald multiple times. but family and friends say weeks before this day, leurkens wasn't himself. his friend, ryan sprig testified saying he had heard leururns was depressed and drinking a lot. apartment to try and get him help. even threatening to call authorties for help "i don't know just scared,,he's my friend. i don't want him to and that's wasn't the person he used to know. "because that man right there, what he did was terrible, but shortly after luerkens wawabrought into the linn counn jail he was put on suicide watch. "because of the nature of the defendant's crime, the impuslivity of his actions, and also because he had harmed himself." "a forensic psychiattst also testified today and said during that april 21st incident leurkens had major dispressent disorder. we've got you covered in cedar trial wililcontine tomorrow. the jury should start deliberating in the next few days a three and a half hour stand-off comes to a apeaceful end.. the stand-off took place in tripoli. according to bremer county

lynnsey donald's family left the courtroom with one less worry about their daughghr's killer.nicholas luerkens will be locked up for the remainder of his natural life. "we're grateful that justice has been served."but the defense argued luerkens wasn't in his right mind when he viciously stabbed donald in the hyvee parking lot.one defensnsattorney with no connection to the case says that argument is hard to prove and one that doesn't see a lot of success in iowa. "it's not an easy defense because we're saying that the defendanandidn't have the ability to tell right versus wrong."tom viner says it's not as simple as calling someone crazy -- everything has to line up. have writings, if we have reason to think that this person was acting normally, it's gonna be harder for us to make the conclusion that they couldn't tell right versus wrong."in luerkens' case, the jury found sufficient evidence to convict him of murder in the first degree... degree... "generally, it's a questiti of what the doctor is going to say about that person's ability to make decisions."more specifically, the state

nicholas luerkens is accused of stabbing and killing his former girlfriend, lynnsey donald. prosecutors say luerkens ambushed her on april 21 in the parking lot at a marion hy-vee grocery store. luerkens' attorneys say he admitted to killing donald, but isn't responsible because of insanity. now, one last look at this morning's weather, justin. after a gray start to our day, more sunshine will poke through the clouds this afternoon. it's certainly going to be cooler than the past few days as temperatures struggle to get past 50. this weekend's weather is looking absolutely beautiful for early november. we'll have lots of sunshine and highs near 50 tomorrow, climbing to around 55 on sunday. next week will start off dry with sunshine before the potential for returns on veterans day and thursday.toda y: partly cloudy, cooler high: 49-55 winds: w 10-20 alo: 51 dbq: 50 iow: 53 tonight: mostly clear low: 32-38 winds: w 5-10 alo: 33 dbq: 34 iow: 36 tomorrow: mostly sunny, seasonable high: 47-53 winds: nw 5-15 alo: 50 dbq: 50 iow: 52 tomorrow night: mostly clear low: 27-33 winds: li

luerkens' defense never denied that he killed lynnsey donald. but it claimed he had overdosed on anti- depressants at the time, and that affected his judgment. the judge tossed out the insanity option before jurors started deliberating friday afternoon. the defense asked the jury, at most, to find luerkens guilty of a lesser charge because of diminished mental capacity. kcrg t-v nine's dave franzman joins us live from the linn county courthouse. dave, how unique was some of the evidence against luerkens? bruce, the linn county attorney couldn't

luerkens.he's accused of stabbing lynnsey donald in the marion hy-vee parking lot back on april 21st. 21st.cbs 2 news reporter dora miller has been following this case and has more on the first day of testimony, dora? emotions were high in the courtroom as the jury -- and family members -- watched a 10- minute video of the stabbing. we also heard from employees who tried to help donald that day. day. you could hear every sniffle in the courtroom as everyone watched lynnsey donald lay lifeless in the marion parking lot.a video shown to the jury on tuesday afternoon displayed the horrific crime committed by nicholas luerkens. luerkens. "he heads south and pulls behind a, looks like an suv so you can't - right there - and here comes your victim." the loss prevention coordinator from another hyvee helped officers find video from the four cameras that covered the parking lot. lot. "he's coming in between the cars, you can see him there...he confronts her there."even on the stand, it was hard to hide the emotion. officer nick martens was the first officer who responded to the scene ...he sa

the prosecution says 33-year-old nicholas luerkens ambushed and stabbed his ex-girlfriend lynnsey donald several times in the marion hy-vee parking lot. they say there is clear and overwhelming evidence that he planned to kill 29-year-old donald, back in april. while the defense admits luerkens did stab her multiple times, they say he was in an extreme depressive state. his attorneys say luerkens was over-using anti- depressant medication at the time. earlier in the week, a police officer testified reading from a journal he found in luerkens' apartment. it had a to-do list - and killing donald was on it. on friday, the prosecution told jurors luerkens' intention couldn't be clearer. but luerkens' defense lawyer suggested a 2nd degree murder conviction instead of first degree, because of his client's mental issues. the jury can consider a variety of charges starting with a conviction of first degree murder. one thing the jury can't consider is "not guilty by reason of insanity." the judge ruled the defense did not meet the burden of proof for jurors to consider that verdict. make sure to

lynnsey donald's family left the courtroom with one less worry about their daughter's killer.nicholas luerkens will be locked up for the remainder of his natural life. "we're grateful that justice has been served."but the defense argued luerkens wasn't in his right mind when he viciously stabbed donald in the hyvee parking lot.one defense attorney with no connection to the case says that argument is hard to prove and one that doesn't see a lot of success in iowa. "it's not an easy defense because we're saying that the defendant didn't have the ability to tell right versus wrong."tom viner says it's not as simple as calling someone crazy -- everything has to line up. up."if we have video, if we have writings, if we have reason to think that this person was acting normally, it's gonna be harder for us to make the conclusion that they couldn't tell right versus wrong."in luerkens' case, the jury found sufficient evidence to convict him of murder in the first degree... degree... "generally, it's a question of what the doctor is going to say about that person's ability to make decisions."m

according to testimony from the medical examiners office, lynnsey donald was stabbed six times. her close friends - and the family she was living with - say luerkens was allegedly stalking donald after their breakup p in january. detectives in the case say they found a notebook from luerkens home during a search warrant. the notebook had threats against donald and a "plot to kill" he the first witness the defense called was luerkens mother.she claimed her son was in a bad place after losing his job and going through a divorce -- he even asked her to help him kill himself. close friends of donald they had no idea he was capable of this. "my husband cacaed me and said ashtononad went to said ashton had went to the door, said that nick had stabbed and killed his mom and put the porkchops in the refrigerator. my husband called and told me, well really it's a seven year old telling us what had happened." happened."the defense claims mixing alcohol and anti- depressants made luerkens violent. the trial will continue tomorrow morning. covering the corridor....in cedar rapids, dora mill

he is accused of stabbing lynnsey donald in a marion hy-vee parking lot last spring. yesterday, a marion police officer testified that he found a journal at luerkens apartment with a "to-do" list that included killing donald. the defense is arguing that luerkens did not know right from wrong when he attacked donald. some homeless people in cedar rapids will wake up this morning at city hall. they are protesting after police told a group staying by the river that they had to move, because they were breaking the law. police say officers gave those camped near the river resource packets to find permanent housing. those protesting say they have no where else to go. now, one last look at this morning's weather, kaj... while we enjoy a mild start out there today, plan on clouds to increase as the day goes on. our next area of low pressure is out to our west this morning and will bring a cold front across our area this evening. the best chance of rain will be between 5pm and 11pm, and a rumble of thunder is not out of the question either. rainfall amounts of a quarter to hal

lynnsey donald's seven year old son was with her when the stabbing happened. the defense plans to claim leurkens had diminished capacity and was intoxicated at the time. the state has tentatively agreed to pay 235-thousand dollars to settle a lawsuit by a former resident at the iowa juvenile home. jessica turner claimed in her suit that the cells for 280 days between 2011 and 2012. she claims she would cry and tell employees she was in pain and wanted out, but they would only let her out to use the bathroom. governor branstad closed the juvenile home in toledo last year, partially over concerns about the treatment of residents. a judge has upheld the murder conviction of a woman who shot and killed her 20 year old neighbor in 2001. tracey richter argued there were errors by her defense attorney, the prosecutor, and the judge in her 2011 trial. richter is serving a life sentence for the death of dustin wehde. prosecutors say she shot him after making him write a note saying that her ex-husband hired him to kill her and her son. they say it was a plot to frame h

jury finding nncholas luerkens guilty of first degree murder in the death of lynnsey donald. he stabbed and killed the 29-year- old donald - in front of her seven year old son... outside the marion hyvee in april. his family very emotional after the verdict. luerkens was escourted out of the courtroom in handcuffs, telling his family he loved them on his way out the door. as for lynnnsey's family -- her father had a statement prepared on their behalf. (cg: steve dgnald/ lynnsey's fatheb) "we will all miss that loving contagious smile and friendly loving soul for this littte boy would greatly be appreciated." luerkens will be sentenced to mandatory life in prison on january eighth. nis inured while jumping into the riveaer beg kickedout f this morning when he was barred from the ameristar casino in council bluffs. he then jumped into the missouri river. police later talked him into coming back out. he was arrested and charged with pububic intoxication. a former high school math teacher convicted of having sexual conduct with a student is sentenced to ten years in prison. a jud

he's accused of stabbing and killing 29-year-old lynnsey donald - in front of her seven year old son... donald was stabbed as she was walking out of the marion hy-vee in the middle of the afternoon in april... it's the first homicide in marion in seven years. prosecutors today again showing evidence -- including the murder weapon and notebook full of luerkens' plans -- as well as video of the incident. meanwhile -- the defense re-stated their claim that luerkens was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the murder and could not control his actions. (sot. cg: prosecution) "there came a time when the defendant decided that his purpose in life "nick's pain and the killing of lynnsey, i submit to you, were the result of a mind that has become sick and impaired, and made nick unrecognizable." prosecutors say luerkens tried to take his own life after the stabbing because he didnt want to go to jail... proving he knew his actions were wrong. jurors will resume their discussion on monday. a murder trial is delayed for a man accused of fatally shooting a 23-year- old 26-year-old jame

he "nnk's pain and the killing of lynnsey, i submit to you, were the result of a mind that has become sick and impaired, and made nick unrecognizable." prosecutors say luerkens tried take his own fe after thh stabbing because he didnt want to go to jail... proving he knew his actions were wrong. jurors will resume their discussion on monday. authorities now say a man was attempting to kill himself, during an explosion at a local motel. 43-year-old matthew ferleman suffered severe injuries and later died area hospital. investigators say he blew out the pilot light on a gas applicance at the shady rest motel in ceddr falls last month in at attempt to take his own life. he then attempted to light a cigarette the next morning -- causing the explosion. autopsy result show he died from thermal injuries in the explosion. a trial is delayed for a man accused of fatally shooting a 23-year-old 26-year-old james ernst the second requesting a continuance to better prepare for a hearing. auauorities say he shot orintheo campbell junior following a fight in waterloo last december. campbell later di

jury.luerkeke is accused of killing lynnsey donald -- stabbing her to death in the hy-ee parking lot in marion.on thursday -- the defense rested their case -- telling the jurors that luerkens was not guilty because he was insane. testimony from his brother and sister painted a picture of a man's changing personality month's before the attack. luerkens best friend testified that he wanted to get luerkens help. "i told him i was s gonna try and get him committed." why did you think that was something that needed to be told to him? "i was scared, that's my friend. i didn't want him to hurt himself." himself."a forensic psychologist detailed luerkens medical history, calling his diagnosis a major depressive disorder.but prosecutors argued luerkens kept notes on ways to track down and kill donald, showing premeditation. and also after the attack, he admitted to a sheriff's deputy that he committed the ultimate crime, proving he does know right from wrong.we'll have the latest details throughout the day on our facebook page and our website, cbs-2- iowa-dot com. it took three and a half hou

you could hear every sniffle in the courtroom as everyone watched lynnsey donald lay lifeless in the marion parking lot.a video shown to the jury on tuesday afternoon n displayed the horrific crime committed by nicholas luerkens. luerkens. "he heads south and pulls behind a, looks like an - and here comes your victim." the loss prevention coordinator from another hyvee helped officers find video from the four cameras that covered the parking lot. lot. "he's coming in between the cars, you can see him ththe...he nfronts her there."even on the stand, it was hard to hide the emotion. officer nick martens was the first officer who responded to the scene ...he says he knew mediately donald wasasdead.a dashcam video shown to the jury explained the scene martens came in on. on. "she wasn't moving at all, i noticed that she appeared to have a cut to her neck, a very severe laceration, she wasn't breathing, she wasn't moving." he says a hyvee employee helped detain who they believed was the suspect. suspect. "he was screamg several times that he wanted to die, he was screaming no many times."

lynnsey donald's dad says after a week of grueling testimony and video, he hopes a lesson was learned. learned. "my hope is that people can learn from this situation and that the issue of domestic violence and stalking need to continue to be addressed and families are not afraid to intervene with their family members or others when needed."the prosecutor and marion police chief calling this case a difficult -- and rare -- one... one... "i've never had a case

lynnsey donald's seven year old son was with her when the stabbing happened. the defense plans to claim leurkens had diminished capacity and was iowa city police say a man broke into a house and assaulted two people. 33 year old ricardo prosper faces charges of first degree burglary, assault, and domestic assault. a conviction could put him in prison for more than 26 years. police say it all happened about 6-30 sunday morning at a home in the two thousand block of davis street. officers say prosper does not live there, and had been ordered to leave several times. they say he punched a woman in the face, who then threw him out and locked the door. that's when police say prosper kicked open the door and assaulted a man in the house. the state has tentatively agreed to pay 235-thousand dollars to settle a lawsuit by a former resident at the iowa juvenile home. jessica turner claimed in her suit that the home kept her in small cement isolation cells for 280 days between 2011 and 2012. she claims she would cry and tell employees she was in pain and wanted out, but

hy-veeicholas luerkens is charged with first-degree murder, murder,in the fatal stababng 29-year-old lynnsey donald. it happened in the crowded marion hy-vee parking lot in april.prosecutors say luerkens was stalking donald and plotted to kill her.he has pleaded not guilty. cbs 2 news has learned the state will pay 235-thousand dollars to settle a lawsuit filed by a former resident of the state-run juvenile home in toledo. toledo.jessica turner is now 21 -- she claims she was kept in isolation cells for 280 days in 20-11 and 20-12.turner says she could only leave the cell to use the restroom -- and wasn't allowed to have any homework or reading g material. concerns over the treatment of residents there prompted governor branstad to close the today, a legislative oversight committee will hold the first of two hearings to review the governor's plan to privatize ththstate's edicaid program. program.critics have been raising questions about the projected savings, how contracts have been awarded so far, and how the plan will impact patients.yesterday governor branstad defended his plan saying it

vee parking lot. 32-year-old nicholas luerkens faces a first degree murder charge in the death of lynnsey donald. authorities say he stabbed her to death back in april. jury selection was on monday with testimony beginning yesterday. kcrg-tv9's dave franzman was in court this morning. dave, who did the jury hear from today? yesterday, jurors primarily heard from witnesses from the hy vee where the stabbing occurred. this morning the focus shifted to some of the evidence police gathered at that scene and luerke's apartment. 11a luerkens day two one of the physical pieces of evidence shown to jurors this morning was the knife used in the attack on the victim. but a marion detective also gathered evidence at the apartment where luerkens lived. one bit of evidence there was a journal kept by luerkens in which he wrote both about his feelings about life and what he what he would do to the victim. "the bottom part of the page, once again says underlined "explative life with an exclamation point. lindsey will die. there's another two lines with words written inbetween that say 'contact apartment

murder.he stabbed and killed his ex-girlfriend lynnsey donald in a marion hy-vee parking lot. lot.luerkens family was visibly upset at the verdict. the defense argued he was insane at the time, and that his family and friends noticed a change in his personality. the donald family, however says justice was served.we spoke with the marion police chief and with donald's family after the verdict was read. they say they are grateful the jury considered all the evidence...and added this trial was hard on everyone. "the whole case was tough because of the child, because of the graphic of the scene and the video." video." "her son ashton, as you know, will never have his mommy again so any and all help for this little boy will greatly be appreciated." appreciated."luerkens will be formally sentenced on january 8-th, but a first degree murder charge does come with mandatory sentence of life in parole. the man arrested for causing a school bus crash near manchester will soon be in court.police says monte klink was drunk when he slammed into a west delaware bus last month. month.the forc

he's accused of killing his ex-girlfriend lynnsey donald at a marion hy-vee last spring. jurors started deliberations on friday. police in des moines are investigating three homicides that happened over the course of two days. they are still looking for a suspect who shot and killed a man and hurt three others early yesterday. a 17 year old is in jail for a deadly shooting on friday night. and a 42 year old man is charged with shooting another man in waukee on saturday. and a new store opens today in the lindale mall in cedar rapids. it's called created in iowa. it sells gifts made by iowans just in time for the holiday shopping season. gifts include clothing, jewelery, food and arts and crafts. now, one last look at this morning's weather, kaj... today and tomorrow will be the nicest days of this work week. plan on sunny sky today, with a few more clouds in the sky tomorrow. highs will be back into the mid-50s in many areas today with upper 50s possible tomorrow. our next storm system is still on track to move in on wednesday, spreading showers and thunderstorm s all acr

trial.nicholas luerkens stabbed lynnsey donald to death in the marion hy-vee parking lot.it's an act the defense doesn't deny, but they *do want the jury to consider luerkens' alleged mental state at the time.and it's possible they are doing just that - after three hours of deliberation, they adjourned until monday. fox 28 news reporter dora miller is covering the luerkens trial. she has the latest on both sides final say. say. the defense and the best arguments today to close the case.and nothing was off limits. limits. "he planned and he premeditated the murder of lynnsey donald, that is he had plenty of time to think about what he was going to do before he did it." it." "when you investigate a little bit further is that nick obviously suffers from a severe illness and disease and so there's much more to this case."still, the state argued luerkens mental health was not an excuse for his crime. crime."even dr. rosell admitted that despite his depression he still had the mental capacity to understand that he was committing a crime."the surveillance video and the notebook that had lue

below that, again in large letters it says f--- life e d this time underlined, it says 'lynnsey dies.'" dies.'"the defense says mixing alcohol and anti-depressants made luerkens more susceptible to violence. they continue their testimony today at 9. this trial is s expected to wrap up by the end of the week.be sure to tune in to the cbs 2 news evening newscasts tonight, to see what happens today in court. four stabbing victims are recovering this morning, after another act of violence on a college campus.now the construction worker, who many believe distracted the suspect long enough to prevent any victims from dying, is saying at first, he thought it was just a fight. fighgh"i went to open the door to break it up and see if everybody was ok and they all screamed run when i opened the door." door."byron price was then himself stabbed by the male college student.it all happened wednesday morning at the university of california, merced.the suspect fled from the room and was later shot and killed by police. authorities are investigating a motive.classes at the college have been cancelled

friends of lynnsey donald testified this afternoon about her relationship with nicholas luerkens on day two of his first degree murder trial. luerkens is on trial for fatally stabbing donald in the marion hyvee parking lot last april. today, the jury was also able to see evidence from the scene. 29 year old lynnsey donald was coming out of the store with her seven year old son when luerkens ambushed her, stabbing her dozens of times. her son saw the whole thing, and he identified luerkens as the man who killed his mother. yesterday, jurors watched the hyvee parking lot surveillance video of the attack. luerkens and donald had dated, and evidence shows luerkens had tried unsuccessful ly to get back together with donald before he killed her.

the trial continues today for a man accused of fatally stabbing 29 year old lynnsey donald in the parking lot of the marion hyvee. jurors watched graphic surveillance video from the incident in april. 32 year old nicholas luerkens is on trial for first degree murder. prosecutors say luerkens stabbed and killed his former girlfriend after numerous failed attempts to reconcile with her over three months. his defense plans to claim luerkens was insane and intoxicated at the time of the assault. linn county attorney jerry vander sanden questioned people who were shopping and working at the marion hy-vee the day of the attack. many of them say there was lots of screaming and confusion in the moments after it happened. day says she saw the stop it. "25:00-:16 "when my brain kicked in and i saw what was happening, i tried to push him to get him to stop. when that didn't even phase him, i got behind him and went to pull him off of her. that's when he stopped and looked at me, and then i stopped and i ran back to my car." " another hy-vee employee, eric breitbach took the stand. he handles surveil

dave, how did lynnsey donald's friends who testified describe the relationship between the two? bruce, friends say it was a relationship that had broken up and luerkens just didn't seem to want to take "it's over" as an answer. but the defense insists anti-depressant medication luerkens was over using may have played a significant role in what happened. luerken's day in court started out with more testimony from police and physical evidence. that included the knife used as a weapon to kill donald and a journal in which luerkens wrote he intended to kill her. but people who saw the relationship break up before the stabbing say what started out well, ended badly. one woman was present as donald moved out of luerken's home. = "she said i'm done, i'm moving out myself and i need to make sure ashton is ok, the drinking has to stop." both prosecution and defense witnesses testified that luerkens became more and more depressed after the breakup. his parents talked about excessive alcohol use. but his defense attorney says luerkens began to overuse drug prescribed for his depression and

luerkens is on trial for the death of lynnsey donald in the marion hyvee parking lot in april of this year. police say he stabbed his ex-girlfriend dozens of times while she was grocery shopping with her son. jurors saw surveillance video of the attack on the first day of the trial. and yesterday, friends talked about the end of luerkens and donald's relationship. jurors also saw an entry in luerkens' journal that said he was planning to kill donald. kcrg-tv9's dave franzman joins us now live outside the linn county courthouse. dave, what did the medical experts say? beth, a forensic psychologist defense expert witness. and his examination of luerkens in the linn county jail detected signs of a major depressive disorder. but prosecutors also produced a final witness who says luerkens knew what he did and knew it was wrong. luerkens brother and sister were the final family witnesses to take the stand. both described a man who became withdrawn and acted strangely in the final months before the stabbing. as the family witnesses more and more episodes, all talked about a mental health com

lynnsey's father tonight on the news at six -- and the fulls we've go you covered in cedar rapids, kristin roger ...kwwl news. nichhlas luerkens will be sentenced on january 8th first degree murder holds a mandatory life sentence in iowa. storm track seven chief meteorologist mark schnackenberg is tracking a storm that'll come midweek... wednesday intro thursdayy.. from the kwwl stormtrack morning. tuesday is going to be the area wednesday and taper off will be strong wednesday night through friday with gusts to 45 mph wednesday night/thursday. friday will be near 30 mph. the wind gradually tapers off friday night. how safe is your water? - - that's a question being asked in waterloo the past few days. friday - - waterloo water woos released a public notice that nitrate levels in one well had them to shut down that well. we can now tell you - - the waterloo water is safe to drink and has been since friday. kwwl heard your many health concerns over the weekend - - kwwl's jessica hartman went looking for the answers to your many questions. jessica, what did you find? in speaking with a pedia

case thursday.they told the jury that luerkens was not guilty because he was insane when he killed lynnsey donald ininhe arion hy-vee parking lot back in april.luerkens' siblings, his best friend, and a psychologist testified that he was not right at the time of the murder.prosecutorhave argued that he knew what he was doing and planned d kill donald.today's preceedings started just about an hour ago. ago.we'll have the latest on what happens today on our facebook page and our website, cbs-2-iowa-dot com. a waterloo murder trial is now getting p phed back. back.attorneys for robert ernst the third requested more time to prepare thier case earlier this week.ernst's trial will now start january 19th instead of next week. authorities say ernst shot orintheo campbell junior last december during a fight. campbell died from his wounds at the hospital. in the nation's capitol this afternoon... afternoon...prprident obama has now formally rejected the controversial keystone oil pipeline. pipeline.just about 90-minutes ago - the commander in chief denied a canadian company's request to build the pi

luerkens was becoming increasingly irrational and was abusing alcohol leading up to the murder of lynnsey donald. she was stabbed to death in the marion hy-vee parking lot in april. let's go back to joe now for a final look at tonight's forecast. a fast moving cold front heads to the east bringing an end to the rain and a return to reality. friday will be the most november-like day we have seen this week. a northwest wind takes over behind the front dropping highs into the 50s. lows hover in the 30s through the weekend keeping the november feel to the air. this really appears to be the trend for most of next week with the next storm heading our way on wednesday. tonight: showers, iso. storms ending low: 40-46 winds: nw 10-20tomorrow: mostly sunny, cooler high: 50-56 winds: nw 15-25 thank you for joining us for kcrg-tv9 news at 5. now we go to new york for abc's .

grocery store. 32-year-ol nicholas luerkens was found guilty of the first degree murder of 29-year-old lynnsey donald. officials say in april he stabbed donald dozens of times as she was leaving the marion hy-vee with her 7- year-old son. luerkens will be sentenced on january 8-th. a first degree murder sentence carries a mandatory term of life in prison. polk county deputies have arrested two people in connection with a road rage incident. authorities took 25-year-old maria eshom and 32-year-old dewayne cole into custody. they are accused of shooting at another car near goode's green house back in october. the victims then crashed into a fence.... fortunately, no one was injured in the incident. eshom is charged with robbery. cole is charged with intimidation with a dangerous weapon. both face charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm. a des moines mother will spend up to 40- years behind bars for her role in the death of her her five-year old daughter. jayda canada died last year after ingesting fatal amounts of morphine at her mother's des moines apartment. today 25-year old tionn

he's accused of killing lynnsey donald in a marion hy-vee parking lot last spring. his defense admits he killed her, but say he isn't insanity and intoxication. friends and family say they tried to get luerkens psychological help before the crime. longtime cedar falls mayor jon crews is stepping down rather than trying to win a run-off election. tuesday's election put crews in a run-off with businessman jim brown. he will stay in office through the end of the year crews has served cedar falls for 30 of the last 44 years. the iowa wrestling team held their media day this afternoon. and as always the expectations are high for the hawkeyes. the iowa wrestling team is ranked 4th in the usa today coaches poll. the hawkeyes have to replace five weight classes, but alex meyer will start at 174 and sam stoll at heavyweight. coach tom brands is hoping for someone to emerge at 141, 157 and 165. "those weight classes... i feel good about them. but you want someone to emerge and be the world beater. we like world beaters, and we have some ways to go before those guys prove they

lynnsey donald's 7 year-old son was with her when the stabbing happened. after the attack, police say luerkens tried to kill himself. the defense plans to claim leurkens was insane or had diminished capacity, and was intoxicated at the time. a number of landlords are frustrated with the amount of time it takes the black hawk county sheriff's office to serve eviction notices to tenants. landlords say after they receive a court order, it usually takes about a week for someone from the sheriff's office to serve an eviction. now, the process is taking more than double that amount of time, because one sergeant is on extended medical leave. landlords say they understand they have to be patient, but time is money. "you are asking me as a landlord to go another month without collecting a rent, because you don't have enough man power or somebody scheduled that can help you remove the person you need to go, and that hurts." "we've got a total of 24 evictions scheduled over the next 11 days, our civil division only runs monday through friday and we only do evictions

the trial continues today for a man accused of fatally stabbing 29 year old lynnsey donald in the parking lot of the marion hyvee. jurors watched graphic surveillance video from the incident in april. 32 year old nicholas luerkens is on trial for first degree murder. prosecutors say luerkens stabbed and killed his former girlfriend after numerous failed attempts to reconcile with her over three months. his defense plans to claim luerkens was insane and intoxicated at the time of the assault. linn county attorney jerry vander sanden questioned people who were shopping and working at the marion hy-vee the day of the attack. many of them say there was lots of screaming and confusion in the moments after it happened. a woman who was shopping that day says she saw the attack happening and tried to stop it. "25:00-:16 "when my brain kicked in and i saw what was happening, i tried to push him to get him to stop. when that didn't even phase him, i got behind him and went to pull him off of her. that's when he stopped and looked at me, and then i stopped and i ran back to my car." " another hy-vee

lynnsey donald's seven year old son was with her when the stabbing happened. the defense plans to claim leurkens had diminished capacity and was intoxicated at the time. iowa city police say a man broke into a house and assaulted two people. 33 year old ricardo prosper faces charges of first degree burglary, assault, and domestic assault. a conviction could put him in prison for more than 26 years. police say it all happened about 6-30 sunday morning at a home in the two thousand block of davis street. officers say prosper does not live there, and had been ordered to leave several times. they say he punched a woman in the face, who then threw him out and locked the door. that's when police say prosper kicked open the door and assaulted a man in the house. the state has tentatively agreed to pay 235-thousand dollars to settle a lawsuit by a former resident at the iowa juvenile home. jessica turner claimed in her suit that the home kept her in small cement isolation cells for 280 days between 2011 she claims she would cry and tell employees she was in pain and w

vander sanden read parts of luerkens' journal in which he wrote "kill lynnsey" in the form of a "to do" list. the prosecution claims that was a sure sign of intent and planning. the defense didn't claim luerkens was innocent of killing his former girlfriend. rather, his attorneys depended on expert witness testimony. they said a diagnosis of severe depression could prove luerkens was less than fully responsible for what he did. "nick i submit to you was in a state of despair, depression and a sense of the end of things. " " just savagely stabbing her with that knife...she had absolutely no chance " the prosecution told jurors what happened was a case of first degree murder. the defense argued for second degree murder saying that would take into consideration the defendant's mental problems at the time of the attack. the defense has claimed diminished responsibility due to those mental issues. but the judge did not include a not guilty by reason of insanity choice in jury instructions saying the defense did not prove it. live in cedar rapids, dave franzman kcrg tv9 news. golf clubhouse

police say that luerkens stabbed former girlfriend lynnsey donald more than a dozen times last april in the parking lot of the marion hy-vee. luerkens' attorney said he was in a state of despair and depression -- and that he was less than fully responsible for killing donald. amid this time of the year where people watch for deer on the roads, a woman in southwest wisconsin died in a crash overnight as investigators say she swerved to avoid a deer. the grant county sheriff's department said, just after midnight, 25-year-old kalia fouks of lancaster drove off highways 35/61 near lancaster. deputies say she drove off the highway after seeing a deer and that her car drove up an embankment, hit a utility pole and turned over. investigators say the crash also injured a passenger and responders flew that injuries. between life and death in an emergency. and encountering an aggressive or injured animal problems for first- responders. a group of first- responders got to learn the basics of animal rescue at the johnson county fairgrounds today. tv9's brady smith has the story. veterinary stud

he killed 29-year old lynnsey donald as she came out of the store with her seven year old son. the conviction carries an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole. as the judge read the verdict yesterday, donald's family members teared up. afterward, her father said the family hopes the incident can help others. "we're grateful that justice has been served. my hope is people learn from this situation and that the issues of domestic violence and stalking need to continue to be addressed " luerkens' defense never claimed that he didn't attack donald. instead, the attorneys wanted the jury to convict him on a second degree murder because of his mental instability. the judge will formally sentence luerkens for first degree murder on january eighth. a judge sentenced a des moines woman to 40 years in prison for her five year old daughter's death from an overdose of morphine. 25 year old tionne bloodsaw agreed to a plea deal. her daughter, jayda canada, died in october last year. police also found marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy in their home. charges in the plea deal inclu

used.according to testimony from the medical examiners office, lynnsey donald was stabbed six times. her close friends - and the family she was living with - say luerkens was allegedly stalking donald after their breakup in january. detectives in the case say they found a notebook from luerkens home during a search warrant. the notebook a "plot to kill" her. the first witness the defense called was luerkens mother.she claimed her son was in a bad place after losing his job and going through a divorce -- he even asked her to help him kill himself. close friends of donald they had no idea he was capable of this - especially in front of her son. larry y ltzdonald and son lived with his family"ashton, when i asked him where his mother was he said nick had stabbed her and killed her. here's porkchops to stick in the refrigerator." the defense claims mixing alcohol and anti-pressants made luerkens violent. they'll begin closing statements tomorrow morning. covering the corridor.... people in cedar rapids say they're tired of living with constant gun violence. earlier this year, 15-year- ol