Michelle Boat after hearing she s been found guilty of Murder in the First Degree on May 11th, 2021. Photo by Court TV/Pool Reporter
Guilty in the First Degree. The verdict was given by the jury in the murder trial of 56-year-old Michelle Boat of Pella after just over 43 minutes of deliberation in Marion County District Court this afternoon at approximately 3 p.m. The charge carries a life sentence without parole. Boat killed Tracy Mondabaugh of Ottumwa on May 18th, 2020. Stay tuned to 92.1 KRLS for additional coverage.
The prosecution has rested its case after a motion for acquittal was denied in the trial of Michelle Boat on day two of witness testimony.
Since Thursday morning, the Marion County Attorney’s Office examined several witnesses, including Michelle’s estranged husband Nicholas, eyewitnesses from the neighborhood, investigators from the Pella Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa Department of Public Safety, forensic experts from the State Crime Lab and the State Medical Examiner’s Office.
Before denying the motion for acquittal, Judge Patrick Greenwood laid out the facts presented by the prosecution, which included Michelle’s acknowledgement that she killed Tracy Mondabaugh on the night of May 18th, 2020.