The first degree Murder conviction of a Westgate man in the death of a four week old baby has been upheld by the Iowa Court of Appeals, according to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. Dean Hettinger argued that there was not enough evidence to back the the guilty verdict. The baby, Holton Smith, was left in the care of Hettinger and his girlfriend after Smith’s mother sought drug treatment. The baby began having seizures and became unresponsive in April of 2018. Doctors found a brain bleed and broken ribs, injuries that were consistent with inflicted trauma and could be the result of shaken baby syndrome. Hettinger told investigators he may have shaken the baby when he dropped a bottle. He also sent a text to his girlfriend saying, “I’m calling DCI tonight. I’m going to tell them I hurt Holton.” He says that was so his girlfriend would no longer have to deal with situation. Hettinger was sentenced to life in prison.
