State Rests Case Against MN Man In Iowa Killing
CARROLL, Iowa (WCCO/AP) -- The state has rested its case against a Minnesota man charged with killing a convenience store clerk in northern Iowa.
Michael Swanson, of St. Louis Park, Minn., was 17 when he was accused of killing Sheila Myers in Humboldt last November.
The state rested its case Wednesday afternoon. Earlier, the prosecution presented a videotaped police interview showing a tired and hungry Swanson puffing away on cigarettes as he admitted shooting Sheila Myers in the face.
Swanson smirked when asked to re-enact what he described as a surprised half-scream, half gasp Myers made when he pulled the trigger. Swanson says he "felt powerful."
Swanson is also charged with killing another clerk in Algona the same day. His trial in that case is set for July.
Swanson's mother took the stand Wednesday afternoon. She broked down when talking about the day she woke up and realized Swanson had snuck out of the house.
"I woke up and I went down stairs to wake up Mike, and I went upstairs and my truck was gone," said Kathleen Swanson.
Kathleen Swanson went on to say that she had never encountered a child like him and she didn't know what to do to stop his behavior problems.
Michael Swanson showed little to no emotion when interviewed by police just hours after he allegedly killed two Iowa convenience store clerks. A police officer asked Swanson how he felt after shooting the two convenience store clerks.
"Some people just get shot," Swanson replied. He also said he killed the store clerks because they could've identified him as the robber of their gas stations and could testify against him in court.
Michael Swanson's defense team is trying to argue that he was mentally ill at the time of the shootings and didn't know right from wrong.
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