WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP) - A Kansas man has been convicted of second-degree murder in the 2018 death of his girlfriend in Iowa.
Zackery Bassett, 34, of Elwood, Kansas, was originally charged with first-degree murder after Andrea Solokowski, 50, was found not breathing in a home in Webster City. An autopsy showed evidence of asphyxiation but her cause of death was listed as undetermined.
Bassett was convicted in Hamilton County Tuesday on the lesser charge after a trial that had been repeatedly delayed by COVID-19 precautions.
Prosecutors alleged Bassett repeatedly abused Solokowski, of Sioux City, for more than a year before her death. Her family told investigators Bassett had stalked her and she had told a friend she was afraid he would kill her, The Des Moines Register reported.
The maximum sentence possible in Iowa for second-degree murder is 50 years. Bassett is scheduled to be sentenced April 5.
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