10 teens, 6 guns, 42 bullets complicate Iowa murder trials

By DAVID PITT
Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — From the start, the case stemming from a drive-by shooting death of a 15-year-old boy near a Des Moines high school has been among the most complex prosecutions ever in Iowa’s capital city, involving 10 teenagers, six guns and at least 42 fired bullets. Plea agreements from several defendants have simplified things a bit, but as frequent hearings continue with trials likely beginning in March, the cases remain tangled as attorneys try to shift blame over who fired the shots, who planned the killing and who was just along for the ride. Experts say it all potentially amounts to a series of incredibly complicated trials.