Iowa man pleads guilty in killing of former girlfriend

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) - A Waterloo man accused in the killing of his former girlfriend, whose body was found in Linn County, has pleaded guilty.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (https://bit.ly/1L6Vbjr ) reports that 38-year-old Shaun Hogan pleaded guilty Tuesday to a reduced charge of second-degree murder for the July 2014 death of 29-year-old Crystal Marie Gaffney. Hogan had been scheduled to go on trial next week and faced a first-degree murder charge.

Gaffney’s body was found in the middle of a road near Walker in Linn County. An autopsy determined that she died of head trauma.

Assistant Linn County Attorney Monica Slaughter declined to comment on a motive for the killing.

Hogan’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May.

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Information from: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, https://www.wcfcourier.com