A hearing related to the case of the 24-year-old Parkersburg man accused of shooting his former football coach to death has been postponed.
The state prosecutor involved in the case is "tied up in a separate trial elsewhere" according to a spokesman for Iowa’s attorney general and cannot make the hearing scheduled for Tuesday. The hearing will "possibly" be held later this week.
Mark Becker of Parkersburg is accused of first degree murder for the June 24, 2009 shooting death of Aplington-Parkersburg coach Ed Thomas.
Becker’s attorney has asked a judge to unseal any records about mental evaluations or substance abuse treatment that Becker has received. It’s the hearing on that request which has been delayed. Becker’s trial on the first degree murder charge is scheduled to start September 15. His attorney intends to use an insanity or dimininshed responsibility defense.