The convicted killer in a somewhat notorious Cedar Falls murder is asking for his conviction to be overturned, according to KWWL. On November 1st of 1975 a whole family was murdered in their farmhouse outside of town. Leslie, Jorjean, Julie, and Jeff Mark were killed in the attack. Jerry Mark, the brother of Leslie, was convicted in the murders and was given a life sentence for each killing. Lawyers from the Iowa State Public Defender’s Wrongful Conviction Unit now argue there are two more likely theories for the crime. First, a Brazilian man named Renato Balestra was living in the home with Leslie and Jerry’s parents, Wayne and Dorothy Mark. Balestra was arrested after being found with pounds of heroin on him. Wayne then paid Balestra’s bail. Balestra then testified against the drug cartel. The theory suggests the cartel found out Wayne paid his bail and came for him and his wife but Leslie and his family had moved into the home and were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The second theory suggests that Leslie and Wayne were running a scam as part of Vi-Vum brokerage firm, buying small family farms and re-selling or re-developing them. The lawyers suggest one of the alleged victims of that scheme could have committed the killings. They also say some of the evidence and theories presented at trial have become outdated or debunked and Mark’s conviction should be overturned.
