CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — One of the men found guilty of murder in the death of Marion woman Melody Hoffman is expected to be sentenced to life in prison Friday.
Dakota Van Patten was found guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony in Hoffman’s 2024 death.
Prosecutors say he helped his friend McKinley Louisma kidnap and kill Louisma’s 20-year-old ex-girlfriend. Police say the pair killed Hoffman at Morgan Creek Park in Cedar Rapids before dumping her body off at Amana Lily Lake in Iowa County…