By David Lohr
(Continued)
The Bentler family's sole survivor, Shawn Michael Bentler, 22, is also the alleged gunman. On Monday Bentler waived extradition from Quincy, Ill., where he was being held on unrelated drug charges and was returned to Iowa. Once back in his home state, Bentler was formally charged with five counts of pre-meditated murder.
On Tuesday, Bentler was brought before Van Buren County District Court Judge Michael Mullins. The defendant trembled in his chair as the charges were read. He spoke only one time, saying "yes" when asked if he was indeed Shawn Michael Bentler. Judge Mullins then explained to him his rights and set his bail at $2.5 million cash bond.
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| Shawn Bentler |
In an interview with The Des Moines Register, Holly Henze, Bentler's Illinois public defender, described one of her visits with him prior to his extradition.
"I walked into the cell, and he was just sitting there shaking," she said. "I couldn't tell what he was reading, but it looked like a dime-store paperback. I wondered at first whether it was a Bible.
"I asked the jailers for a blanket. I just wanted to get him to stop shaking before he went into shock," Henze said. "When I left, he was still shaking. I don't know if it was nerves or what. Probably the gravity of the situation."
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Shawn Bentler Allegedly Murders his Entire Family
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