CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — One of the men found guilty of murder Marion woman Melody Hoffman is asking the court for a new trial saying his defense lawyer, “argued absolutely no defense on my behalf.”
Last month, a jury found Dakota Van Patten 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…