Trequan Cosgrove was found not guilty of first- and second-degree murder at the Wednesday verdict hearing in the Marshall County Courthouse. However, he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Cosgrove waived the right to hear the entire reading, instead opting only for the verdict. Judge John Flynn acknowledged the number of people gathered in the courtroom, and added he understood some people might be upset about his verdict.

“This was the most challenging case [I have had] as a lawyer or a judge. That’s all I can say,” Flynn said.

Before ending the brief hearing, Flynn said sentencing will take place on June 13.

Cosgrove, 26, of Marshalltown, was charged with killing Ezra Seymour, 23, on Aug. 31, 2024. During a party at his residence, which Cosgrove shared with girlfriend Jaimee Alcaraz-Gutierrez, Seymour invited himself in. It was alleged Seymour urinated on the floor and refused to leave after Cosgrove told him to. After being escorted out of the house, the prosecution said Cosgrove felt he was made to look like a fool and used a white Cadillac to run Seymour over. Marshalltown Police Department (MPD) officers found Seymour’s body on North 12th Avenue.

Cosgrove then parked the vehicle in the garage on his property, with help from Alcaraz-Gutierrez. The MPD SWAT team conducted a search of Cosgrove’s residence and found Seymour’s hair in a crack of the Cadillac windshield and a 9mm pistol.

The 58-page verdict, filed in Iowa Courts Online after the hearing, stated the prosecution did not prove beyond reasonable doubt two of the four elements necessary to be found guilty for first-degree murder. The two elements not proven were that Cosgrove acted with malice and forethought, and that he acted willfully, deliberately, premeditatedly and with specific intent to kill Seymour. The verdict does acknowledge the state proved the first two elements – that Cosgrove struck Seymour with a vehicle and that Seymour died as a result.

To be found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, the state had to prove Cosgrove committed the crime of reckless driving, and that he unintentionally caused the death of Seymour.

Alcaraz-Gutierrez has been charged with accessory after the fact, and a jury trial is scheduled to begin on May 9.

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.