After less than two hours of deliberation this afternoon, a Dubuque County jury has found a 28-year-old Dubuque man guilty of first-degree murder and animal abuse. The guilty verdict followed a two day trial that wrapped up this morning with closing statements.
Tyler Dazey was charged after his mother was found dead in her home with multiple lacerations to her head, face, and neck in January. The family dog was also found dead with a significant head injury.
Police said Dazey had told them his mother had been practicing witchcraft. He was found incompetent to stand trial in February, but that decision was reversed in May.
Dazey will be sentenced at a later date. A first-degree murder conviction comes with a mandatory life in-prison sentence.
