A northeast Iowa teenager, accused in the weekend deaths of his grandparents, made his first court appearance this afternoon. Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Sweet was arrested last night in Cedar Rapids.
Reporter Mike Johnson was on hand for Sweet’s initial court appearance in Clayton County. He says Sweet was formally charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent. An arrest warrant filed Monday in Delaware County shows Sweet admitted to three people that he killed his grandparents over the weekend.
The bodies of 62-year-old Janet Sweet and 55-year-old Richard Sweet were found Sunday afternoon in their home in Manchester by relatives who arrived for a Mother’s Day gathering. Isaiah Sweet’s court appearance took place in Clayton County because a district judge was not available today in Delaware County.
Sweet’s bond was set at $1 million cash. District Judge Monica Ackley set a preliminary hearing for May 25th in Delaware County. Sweet is being transferred to the Delaware County Jail. According to court documents, Sweet told one friend last Friday that he “drugged” his grandparents and he thought they were dead.
Authorities said autopsies were conducted Monday, but the results have not been released.
By Mike Johnson, KMCH, Manchester