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State of Iowa
v.
Nicole Marie Finn
Appellee
State of Iowa
Appellant
Nicole Marie Finn
Attorney for the Appellee
Martha E. Trout, Assistant Attorney General
Attorney for the Appellant
Nicholas B. Dial
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Karen A. Romano, Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Vaitheswaran, P.J., and Mullins and Ahlers, JJ. Opinion by Vaitheswaran, P.J. (14 pages)
Nicole Finn appeals her convictions for one count of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree kidnapping. Finn (1) challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support the findings of guilt on “each kidnapping charge”; (2) argues the district court improperly instructed the jury on the meaning of a term used in the marshalling instruction for kidnapping; (3) contends the district court abused its discretion in denying her motions for change of venue; (4) argues the district court abused its discretion in denying her motions to strike three jurors for cause; and (5) contends her trial attorneys were ineffective in failing to object to a jury instruction that “assume[d] the existence of facts disputed in the record.” OPINION HOLDS: Upon our review, we affirm.