A northwest Iowa man was convicted of murder Tuesday for failing to stop a man from killing his ex-girlfriend and then committing suicide. A verdict of guilty of first-degree murder was returned against 21-year-old Dustin Stienstra of Alton. His friend John Turpin killed his ex-girlfriend Sarah Harvey last October in Hospers, and then committed suicide. Prosecutors say that Stienstra knew Turpin planned the murder-suicide plot, and Stienstra helped set up the meeting between the two. Under Iowa law, helping someone commit murder is treated the same as committing murder. Stienstra will spend life in prison on the murder charge, and faces another ten years on charges of assisting suicide. Sentencing has been set for September 2nd. Stienstra’s attorney says he will appeal.
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