Man convicted of manslaughter, not murder, for fatal beating

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NEW HAMPTON, Iowa (AP) — A 19-year-old Prairie du Chien man charged with first-degree murder in northeast Iowa has been found guilty of a lesser crime.

Winneshiek County court records say Dalton Adam, of Prairie du Chien, was convicted on Monday of voluntary manslaughter.

His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 26. The trial had been moved to Chickasaw County.

He and his friend Jacob Seelinger had been charged after the attack in July 2018 on 46-year-old David Hansen. Adam said during his testimony that Hansen punched him after punching Seelinger. Prosecutors say Hansen confronted the pair when they were inflicting damage on property outside his house in Decorah. Hansen was the boyfriend of Seelinger’s mother.

Adam testified that he punched back and knocked down Hansen, who cracked his head on concrete. Adam acknowledged that he and Seelinger kicked and punched Hansen as he lay helpless.

Seelinger’s been convicted of second-degree murder and has been sentenced to up to 50 years in prison.