ADEL, Iowa — Following emotional victim-impact statements delivered before a full courtroom, the rural Adel man who was convicted in August of murdering his 20-year-old nephew was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Mark Daniel Mash, 37, was convicted Aug. 18 of first-degree murder in the Dec. 22, 2020, shooting death of Jakob Mash of Perry. He was also convicted of dominion/control of a firearm by a domestic abuser.
Before Dallas County District Court Judge Michael K. Jacobsen handed down the sentence, he first heard a motion for a new trial filed by defense attorney Natasha O’Hollearn of the State Public Defender Office in Des Moines.
O’Hollearn argued that the jury was given faulty instructions on two points of law and that there was “a greater amount of credible evidence” for a verdict differing from the jury’s verdict of guilty of first-degree murder.
Jacobsen overruled O’Hollearn’s motion for a new trial and proceeded to hearing from some of the the victims. Jakob Mash’s mother, step-mother and two sisters each gave moving testimonials to the pain and devastation the murder caused the family.
Looking directly at the convicted man, one victim said, “Because of you, now I see that there is evil in the world.”
“You stole him from us, and for that I hope you rot,” said another victim. “You are a selfish monster.”
With great pathos a victim said, “Jakob’s dog sat at the door for months, waiting for him to come home.”
Along with a life sentence, Mash was ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to the heirs of his nephew, and he received a five-year concurrent prison term on the firearm conviction. He has 30 days to file an appeal of his conviction with the Iowa Supreme Court.
The state was represented in Friday’s proceedings by Dallas County Attorney Chuck Sinnard.
