March trial for cousins accused of killing man

CEDAR RAPIDS - Two cousins charged in the November slaying of Andre Herron will stand trial March 5 in Linn County District Court.

Justin Ross, 18, of Cedar Rapids, and Donovan Ross, 19, of Hiawatha, filed written not-guilty pleas to their first-degree murder charges this week. They are accused of killing Herron, 30, who was found dead on Seventh Street SW on Nov. 26.

According to criminal complaints, Justin Ross killed Herron with a shot from a .45-caliber revolver, and Donovan Ross shot a .22-caliber revolver at him.

Alison Cunningham, 17, who has been identified as a material witness to the shooting, was released without bond pending the trial.

Multiple witnesses placed the Ross cousins and Cunningham at the scene of the crime, court documents say.