State v. Hodges

HARRIS, Justice.

The question in this appeal is whether a confession was precipitated by a police officer’s suggestion that, by confessing, defendant would receive better- treatment and less severe punishment than if he denied guilt and stood trial. We find the question must clearly be answered in the affirmative. Hence, we reverse defendant’s murder conviction, based in part on evidence of the confession, and remand the ease for a new trial.

Defendant was convicted of murdering Hugo Weidenpesch, Iowa Code §§ 707.1 and 707.2 (1981), an elderly housebound man, whose body was discovered in his…