Early News

The 21-year old Early, Iowa man was convicted in the brutal murder of his mother, Marilyn Schmitt, who had been strangled and stabbed repeatedly.

Thursday in a Fort Dodge courtroom, they found him guilty of 1st degree murder of his mother, Marilyn Schmitt and 3rd degree kidnapping of an acquaintance.

"I had to have killed my mother. I can't explain why I did it or what I was thinking.

This morning's testimony in the Kirk Levin murder trial focused on the 3rd-Degree Kidnapping charge made against him.

Police were called to a reported armed robbery in Sioux City. It happened about 9:00 p.m. Monday night at Abarrotes El Arco grocery store at the corner of 21st and Court Streets.

Levin, 21, of Early. has been charged with first-degree murder and third-degree kidnapping.

Jury selection is expected to begin Monday for a 21-year-old Iowa man accused of killing his mother in Early and kidnapping another woman.

The trial of a man accused of killing his mother in Early is set to begin in Fort Dodge Monday.

The murder trial of an Early, Iowa man will get underway, next week. Friday, it was up to a judge to decide where that trial would take place.

Lawyers for Kirk Levin say he would have a difficult time getting a fair hearing in Fort Dodge because of media coverage of the recent kidnappings of two girls from Dayton.