Sterling Kohen & Questions

Sterling Kohen was a three month and thirty day old baby. At his murder trial, the prosecutor used the word malicious many times and to be honest, it's the perfect word. He was born healthy and over the course of his very short life he remained so and gained weight and grew. At some unknown point and for reasons that are not particularly clear, she began to resent his intrustion on the life she had shared with her older daughter Nala and he boyfriend Zach.

He was found in a house that contained everything he needed to survive – formula, bottles, diapers, diaper rash cream, wipes, and clean clothing and blankets. It was not as if they could not afford to care for him. The father believed he was not his child and ignored him for the most part, which no doubt played a part in his mother's rejection. Both parents were abusing meth at the time of the murder. The father was gainfully employed and provided for the physical needs of the child.

At the Zach's trial, DNA test results were provided showing he was the biological father of the child despite Sterling's light skin and blue eyes.

The older child Nala was extremely well cared for and dressed above and beyond what most parents would put on their child for an ordinary day of play. Nala allegedly became distressed whenever her mother would pay attention to the baby over his needs like food and care.

This case, despite two life sentences and two full trials poses more questions then answers. During

the father's trial, he stated people questioned his paternity based on appearances, but a close friend testified he was unaware Zach had a son, but knew he had a daughter because he spoke about her often. The father also testified both had cheated on the other multiple times.

Where were the family members? How did not one grandparent or aunt or uncle not notice this child was being neglected? The mother had clear animous toward her own child and was not shy about it, despite having been what seems to be overly involved in her daughter's life. The father also testified that they moved to Iowa because Cheyenne Harris had family members there. It's hard to imagine that he suffered in that dark stifling bedroom and not one person wondered where he was or acted on those questions.

Since their appeals are not exhausted at this time, it's unlikely we will ever know what really happened in this case, despite the father admitting he took better care of his dog than he did his son and the mother alleging she had postpartum depression after caring for him appropriately for some time. While the verdicts are rewarding, they just create more questions than answers.

Watch Zach's trial here

Watch Cheyenne's Trial here