Iowa jury reaches verdict in trial of man charged with gunning down high school football coach

Iowa jury reaches verdict in coach shooting trial

ALLISON, Iowa — An Iowa judge says the jury has reached a verdict in the trial of a former football player accused of fatally shooting his high school coach.

Iowa District Court Judge Stephen Carroll says the jury reached a verdict around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the first-degree murder trial of Mark Becker. The verdict will be announced later in the morning.

Becker is accused of killing Aplington-Parkersburg coach Ed Thomas in the school’s weight room last June.

He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys agree that Becker shot Thomas and he has a mental illness. They disagree over whether he was insane at the time of the shooting.

Jurors reached a decision after more than 24 hours of deliberations.