Jury in Kendu Petties murder trial will continue deliberations Monday

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Linn County jury in the Kendu Petties murder trial didn't reach a verdict after two days of deliberations. They will continue Monday in Linn County District Court.

The jury started deliberations late Wednesday. The trial started Feb. 15.

Petties is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to a forcible felony. He is accused of fatally shooting Sierrah Simmons, 20, and Quintrell Perkins, 22, both of Cedar Rapids, on April 2, 2014. while they were with two friends and two children at 1708 Fourth Ave SE, which is the home of Perkin's father.

According to testimony, Petties, who was outside the home, fired 11 times on the east side of the house. Simmons and Perkins were not the targets. Witnesses said Petties thought he was shooting at two men, who were known to hang around the residence.

Two bullets killed Perkins and Simmons, according to testimony. One bullet hit Simmons in the neck/head as she was sitting on a sofa in the living room and Perkins, who was sitting across from her, was struck once in the chest.

Petties, in a recorded police interview, played for the jury said he was innocent and not in Iowa at the time. He was living in Mesa, Ariz., when he was arrested on a warrant in 2015.

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