COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) - A Sioux City man has been found guilty of second-degree murder.
The Daily Nonpareil reports (https://bit.ly/2mnfX6k ) that a Pottawattamie County jury found 48-year-old Elias Wanatee, of Sioux City, guilty Friday after eight hours of deliberation.
It was the second trial for Wanatee in the case. His first trial ended in a mistrial in December after Woodbury County jurors couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict. Wanatee’s second trial was moved to Council Bluffs to avoid pretrial publicity.
Authorities say Wanatee stabbed to death 50-year-old Vernon Mace in Sioux on Feb. 17, 2016.
Wanatee’s defense attorney had argued that Wanatee acted in self-defense because Mace had threatened him with a firearm weeks before.
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Information from: The Daily Nonpareil, https://www.nonpareilonline.com
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