SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) – A Sioux City man accused of shooting a woman who was on the phone with 911 has been found guilty.
Austyn Self, 24, was found guilty of first-degree murder and three counts of endangering a child in connection with the shooting death of 31-year-old Sarah Zoelle on January 14, 2023.
A judge announced the verdict Friday at the Woodbury County Courthouse. The case was conducted as a single-judge trial, in which a judge, not a jury, decides guilt.
During a press conference after the murder, police said Zoelle was on the phone with a 911 operator and told him Self had pointed a gun at her. Shortly afterward, a gunshot was heard and Self picked up the phone and told the operator that he had shot Zoelle and would put the gun down when police arrived.
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When police arrived, they found Zoelle with a baby in her arms and a gunshot wound to her stomach. She later died in hospital. According to police, there were a total of three children in the house at the time of the shooting, all under the age of five.
Self pleaded not guilty to the charges against him on February 3, and his trial began on May 22. The judge presiding over the trial issued a verdict on August 1 and announced that it would be read on August 9.
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