State Judicial Building. (RI photo)
The Iowa Supreme Court has denied the appeal of a man found guilty of brutally murdering a hunter in Appanoose County.
Ethan Davis of Promise City was found guilty of first-degree murder in a random attack on hunter Curtis Ross. Ross’s body was found in a public hunting area the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2017, he had been shot and stabbed several times. Evidence at Davis’ trial linked him to the gun used to kill Ross, and testimony indicated he was upset about visitation rights for his son.
Davis appealed his conviction saying a jury instruction on reasonable doubt was not adequate, and an instruction given to the jury after they appeared deadlocked pushed them to a verdict.
The Iowa Supreme Court ruling says the instruction given to the jury was adequate. And it says the jury continued deliberating for four-and-half hours after the second instruction — which the Court says was ample time for them to discuss the evidence and thoroughly evaluate each other’s opinions.
Here’s the ruling: Ethan Davis Appeal PDF