State of Iowa v. Johnny Blahnik Church a/k/a Drew Alan Blahnik

Summary

The Iowa Supreme Court held that the district court did not coerce the jury by issuing a verdict‑urging instruction after learning the jury was split 11‑1, and therefore affirmed the defendant’s convictions. Applying an abuse‑of‑discretion standard, the Court examined the instruction’s content, the timing of the verdict, and the jury poll, finding none showed coercion and concluding the instruction was proper.