Three men have now been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a Marshalltown man. Twenty-seven-year old Steven Etzen and 23-year-old Shawn Doehler were initially charged with first-degree robbery when they were arrested early Tuesday morning in Osceola.
Twenty-eight-year old T.J. Vaughn of Marshalltown, initially sought as a material witness, is now charged with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery as a result of the ongoing investigation. Vaughn is being held in the Marshall County Jail. Etzen and Doehler are being held in the Clarke County Jail and will be returned to Marshalltown to face first-degree murder charges.
Police were called to a Marshalltown apartment around 7 p.m. Monday on a report of a man who was shot in the head. Thirty-nine-year-old Benjamin Benda was taken to a Marshalltown hospital and then transferred to University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City. Benda died shortly before 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.
By Mike Lindell, KFJB, Marshalltown