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Mother sobs during trial when prosecutors show photos of son

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January 30th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman charged in the death of her baby left the courtroom sobbing during the first day of her trial when prosecutors showed photos of her lifeless son in a swing set. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports 21-year-old Cheyanne Harris caused a break in her trial Wednesday at the Plymouth County Courthouse in Le Mars.

Cheyanne Harris talks with her attorney during her court appearance on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019 in Le Mars, Iowa. Harris, the mother of a baby whose lifeless body was found in an infant swing wearing a maggot-infested diaper is standing trial in his death. Court records say Harris has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death. The trial was moved to Le Mars in Plymouth County from Chickasaw County because of publicity. (Jeff Reinitz/The Courier via AP)

Harris has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death. She was arrested in August 2017 after medics found 4-month-old Sterling Koehn dead in the swing in a dark, sweltering bedroom.

An autopsy shows he died of malnutrition, dehydration and an E. coli infection caused by being left in a maggot-infested diaper for up to two weeks. The boy’s father, Zachary Koehn, already has been sentenced to life in prison .