The lawyer for the 24-year-old Parkersburg man accused of shooting his former football coach to death apparently plans to use an insanity defense when her client goes on trial for murder.
Attorney Susan Flander of Mason City filed documents that indicate she plans to argue Mark Becker was insane or suffering from "diminished responsbility" when he shot Aplington-Parkersburg coach Ed Thomas last month.
Becker has been charged with first degree murder. His attorney has asked a judge to open any sealed records about Becker’s commital for mental evaluations and for substance abuse treatment. Becker’s attorney, however, says those records should not be released to the public, just to the prosecutors and to her, the defense lawyer.