Muscatine County Attorney Alan R. Ostergren announced today, April 12, 2019, that DOUGLAS FOSTER, 36, of Marion, Iowa was found guilty after a five-day jury trial of the offense of murder in the first degree for the death of Lea Ponce on January 8, 2019. The jury deliberated approximately two hours before returning its verdict. The Hon. Stuart Werling presided over the trial.
FOSTER will be sentenced May 31, 2019, at 9:00 a.m. He is being held in the Muscatine County Jail without bond pending sentencing. He faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
"I would like to thank the jury for their hard work on this case" said Ostergren. "This was a difficult case - they paid close attention to the complex facts in order to return their verdict. I would also like to thank the excellent investigative work done by the Muscatine County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation" he added.
FOSTER's mugshot: