Testimony began Tuesday afternoon in the murder trial of 51-year-old Mark Wilson in Fort Dodge. A jury of seven men and seven women heard testimony from five prosecution witnesses regarding the circumstance surrounding the murder in July 2001 of Joni L. Manning at her rural Webster County home.
Wilson surrendered to California authorities last August after being on the run since the 2001 murder. He was extradited to Iowa where he was formally charged with the crime. The jury heard testimony from Manning’s sons Brandon and Jordan on the discovery of their mother’s body in the home, Webster County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris O’Brien who was the first law enforcement officer to respond to the crime scene and from Webster County Medical Examiner Dr. Daniel Cole.
By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City