Des Moines, Iowa — The Iowa Supreme Court has denied a request for further review in the case of a Le Mars man who stabbed his sister to death in 2016.
Court records indicate Thomas Bibler of Le Mars (who was 34 at the time) was taken into custody following a fatal stabbing that happened the evening of Saturday, June 11, 2016. Bibler was accused of fatally stabbing his 27-year-old sister, Shannon Bogh. Witnesses to the stabbing identified Bibler as the suspect.
He was convicted of second-degree murder in January 2019.
A motion for a new trial was denied at the sentencing hearing. Bibler appealed, and his case was heard by the Iowa Court of Appeals. Part of Bibler’s defense was that he had taken the prescription sleep aid Ambien before the stabbing. The Court of Appeals said that the law does not differentiate between “unintentional intoxication” and “intentional intoxication.” They affirmed the district court’s ruling.
Bibler appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court, who last week denied the request for further review. Bibler is serving a 50-year sentence in the Iowa State Penitentiary in Anamosa.
