MARION, Iowa (KCRG) – Prosecutors submitted closing arguments to a judge Monday, arguing that a Marion father’s killing of his 5-year-old son was intentional, willful, and premeditated.
Matthew Schleier faces a charge of first-degree murder in the death of his son, Jack, who died in October 2024. Schleier is pursuing an insanity defense.
Bench trial, not jury trial
The case is being heard as a bench trial, meaning a judge — not a jury — will decide Schleier’s verdict.
Prosecution’s case
In their closing arguments, prosecutors wrote that Schleier wanted peace and relief from the stress caused by Jack’s food allergies; this, they argued, motivated him to kill his son.
Prosecutors also said Schleier had considered killing his children for weeks. He weighed using knives before choosing to strangle his son, which prosecutors said he determined was more humane and quieter…