Jury struggled before convicting Becker

(AP) - The jury struggled to reach a verdict before deciding unanimously to convict Mark Becker in the shooting death of Aplington-Parkersburg High School football coach Ed Thomas last June.

Jury foreman Doug Schueler told The Des Moines Register after Tuesday's verdict that jurors were initially split, with seven leaning toward finding Becker guilty and five leaning toward finding him not guilty by reason by insanity. In the end, they rejected the insanity defense and convicted Becker of first-degree murder.

Schueler says the jury "bounced back and forth" during nearly 25 hours of deliberations, which started last Wednesday. He declined to talk specifically about what swayed the jury to convict Becker.

Becker faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Sentencing is April 14.