For summaries from opinions prior to August, 2018, view PDF versions here.
State of Iowa
v.
Steve W. Fordyce II
Steve Fordyce seeks further review after the court of appeals affirmed his conviction for voluntary manslaughter. Fordyce contends his actions were justified and the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he had an alternative course of action.
Resister
State of Iowa
Applicant
Steve W. Fordyce II
Attorneys for the Resister
Linda J. Hines
Israel J. Kodiaga
Attorney for the Applicant
Christopher Kragnes, Sr.
Supreme Court
Oral Argument Schedule
15-15-5
Jan 22, 2020 9:00 AM
Briefs
Supreme Court Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Date Amended:
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Black Hawk County, David P. Odekirk, Judge. AFFIRMED. Heard by Vaitheswaran, P.J., and Potterfield and Tabor, JJ. Opinion by Potterfield, J. (21 pages)
Steve Fordyce appeals his conviction after bench trial for voluntary manslaughter. He claims (1) the State did not present substantial evidence to disprove his justification defense beyond a reasonable doubt, (2) the district court erred in not applying the amended Iowa Code chapter 704 (2017)—also known as the “stand your ground” law—to his case, and (3) his due process rights were violated by the length of time between his trial and the entry of the district court’s verdict. OPINION HOLDS: Because substantial evidence disproves Fordyce’s justifications of self-defense and defense of others, the district court did not err in refusing to apply the stand your ground law to Fordyce’s case, and we do not find Fordyce’s due process rights were violated due to the delay between trial and the verdict, we affirm his conviction for voluntary manslaughter.