State of Iowa
v.
James Shiloh Klever
Appellee
State of Iowa
Appellant
James Shiloh Klever
Attorney for the Appellee
Anagha Dixit, Assistant Attorney General
Attorney for the Appellant
Shellie L. Knipfer, Assistant Appellate Defender
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Scott J. Beattie, Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Schumacher, P.J., Sandy, J., and Vogel, S.J. Opinion by Vogel, S.J. (8 pages)
A defendant challenges whether substantial evidence supports his conviction for murder in the first-degree. OPINION HOLDS: Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the State, the jury could conclude the circumstances of the defendant’s actions—a course of violent conduct that escalated until the victim was not just unconscious, but dead—showed the defendant specifically intended to kill her. As well, the defendant’s use of a baseball bat supports the jury’s conclusion that he acted with malice aforethought. Accordingly, substantial evidence supports the defendant’s conviction for murder in the first degree.
