A 23-year-old southeast Iowa native is found guilty in the killing of his entire family. Judge Michael Mullins ruled this morning that Shawn Bentler is guilty of all five counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of his parents and three teenage sisters at their home in Bonaparte last October.
Bentler gave up his right to a jury trial to have his fate determined by Mullins. The judge’s ruling says eyewitness accounts by one of the sisters and being identified by his mother during a 9-1-1 call was enough to convict him. Sentencing will be June 19th.