(Orange City)– A judge has ordered a new trial for an Alton man in a Sioux county murder-suicide case.
Judge James Scott issued a ruling yesterday in which he threw out the guilty verdict against 21-year-old Dustin Stienstra. A jury had convicted Stienstra in July on charges of first degree murder and assisted suicide.
The charges stem from the death of 19-year-old Sarah Harvey last October. Authorities say the Orange City woman was killed when John Turpin, her ex-boyfriend, shot her, then fatally shot himself.
Although Stienstra didn’t pull the trigger, prosecutors say he aided Turpin by arranging a meeting between Turpin and Harvey.
In his ruling, Judge Scott says the weight of the evidence contradicts the verdict against Stienstra. He went on to state that judges have broader discretion to grant new trials than they do to acquit.
Stienstra remains in the Sioux county jail on bond of 100-thousand dollars.
A date for a new trial hasn’t been set yet.
