Estherville, Iowa — The second defendant in the case of a man who was killed near Estherville has been sentenced.
A criminal complaint says that about 14 months ago, 20-year-old David McDowell was reportedly lured to an apartment by 19-year-old Connor Uhde and 18-year-old CeJay Van Der Wilt before he was shot to death early the next morning along a roadway about five miles outside of Estherville. His body was discovered several hours later by a passing motorist.
Uhde was sentenced last week to 25 years for attempted murder and kidnapping.
Van Der Wilt had also originally been charged with first-degree murder but was convicted of a misdemeanor-level involuntary manslaughter charge instead.
His attorneys pushed for a penalty of probation only since Van Der Wilt doesn’t have much of a previous record. Judge Duane Hoffmeyer denied that request. Van Der Wilt received a two-year prison term, with credit for the nearly one year that he has already spent in jail.
