Iowa jury convicts Georgia man in slaying of former roommate

BOONE, Iowa (AP) - A Georgia man was convicted Friday of second-degree murder in the killing of his former roommate in 2009.

Jurors in John Green’s trial returned a guilty verdict Friday, one day after they began deliberating. Prosecutors had sought a first-degree murder conviction in the death of Mark Koster, 58, of Sac City, but jurors found him guilty of the lesser offense.

First-degree murder denotes the intent to kill, while second-degree murder indicates the intent to do harm but not the intent to kill.

Koster was declared missing in 2010. His remains were later found buried in his basement after new owners began renovations.

Sac County Attorney Ben Smith said he’s content with the jury’s decision, but that the verdict is not cause for celebration.

“Nobody wins,” he said. “Mark Koster is still gone. His family still doesn’t get to be around with him. The defendant’s life will be spent in prison. Everybody loses.”

Defense attorney Charles Kenville was not available to provide comment to the Fort Dodge Messenger following the verdict.

Throughout the trial, Green and his attorney maintained that he killed Koster in self-defense. But prosecutors argued that Green manipulated the scene, evaded reporting the incident to police and had no need to kill Koster to defend himself, noting that he weighed at least 75 pounds more than Koster.

Green’s original trial was held in Webster County because his attorney argued that pretrial publicity would make it impossible for Green to receive a fair trial in Sac City. The same argument was used against holding the second trial in Fort Dodge. The first ended in a mistrial.

A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for May 15. Green faces up to 50 years in prison and must serve at least 35 years before becoming eligible for parole.

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Information from: The Messenger, https://www.messengernews.net