It's one of the most horrific cases of alleged child abuse imaginable — a 4-month-old baby was found dead in a baby swing, covered in maggots and wearing a diaper that hadn't been changed in days. The baby, Sterling Koehn, was discovered in an Iowa apartment on August 30, 2017. Now, his father, 29-year-old Zachary Paul Koehn, is on trial for murder and child endangerment. But Koehn's lawyer is arguing that Sterling's death is not a crime because the baby actually died of diaper rash.
Warning: Details of this case are graphic and disturbing.
Assistant Iowa Attorney General Coleman McAllister told the court that baby Sterling had been in the same diaper for nine to 14 days when he died.
The prosecutor said the dirty diaper attracted bugs, which laid eggs that hatched into maggots, according to The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Severe diaper rash set in, causing open wounds that allowed bacteria to enter the baby's bloodstream, and the baby subsequently died of malnutrition, starvation, and the infection.
Sterling was found dead after his father called 911 saying the baby had died. EMT Toni Friedrich, who was first to arrive on the scene, testified that Sterling's eyes were open in "a blank stare" when she first saw him, and when she moved his blanket, gnats flew up.
But Koehn's defense attorney, Les Blair III, reportedly told the jury that what happened to Sterling was a tragedy but not a crime.
Koehn is a truck driver who often works long hours and overnight. On the day Sterling died, Koehn reportedly told police that Sterling's mom, 21-year-old Cheyanne Harris, had fed the baby and he "was fine," but a couple of hours later he went to check on the 4-month-old and found the baby unresponsive. He also reportedly thought the baby died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Koehn and Harris were both arrested and charged with murder and child endangerment. Koehn's trial began this week, and Harris's will start at a later date.
Sadly, Koehn's trial has revealed that there were questions about Sterling's safety from the very beginning.
Sterling's umbilical cord tested positive for methamphetamines shortly after his birth, per The Courier. And Jennifer Schriever, who used to babysit Sterling, testified that the first time she cared for him he was underweight and had severe diaper rash.
Disturbingly, a former friend of Koehn’s, Jordan Clark, testified that he didn't even know Sterling existed. He claimed he had visited Koehn's apartment and seen his other child, a 2-year-old girl who was not found to be neglected or abused, but Koehn allegedly never mentioned Sterling, there was no baby present in the room he was in, and no one went to another room to check on a baby while he was there. He also claimed that he, Koehn, and Harris smoked meth together, and that Koehn bought $20 to $40 worth of meth from him every week.
Sterling's 2-year-old sister was placed in foster care after her baby brother was found dead.
McAllister told the jury that the fact that Koehn had another healthy child is proof that he had the means to care for a child and that what happened to Sterling was, in fact, a crime. “He directly caused Sterling’s death,” McAllister said, according to The Courier.
