The attorney for a northeast Iowa man convicted of murdering his former football coach is asking that her client get a new trial. Twenty-four-year-old Mark Becker was accused of first degree murder for shooting Aplington-Parkersburg coach Ed Thomas to death last summer. Becker went on trial in February and a jury convicted him in early March.
During that trial, Becker’s attorney did not dispute that Becker shot Thomas, but argued Becker was insane at the time of the crime. Becker’s lawyer has filed a motion for a new trial. Becker is scheduled to be back in court Wednesday, for his sentencing. His first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory life prison sentence, without the possibility of parole.