DES MOINES – A Mason City man convicted of murder has lost another appeal in his case.
On March 26, 1998, Michael Burnett Weatherspoon was charged in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, District Court with the murder of Jerry Wayne Dean, a creme which took place in Mason City. While Weatherspoon and Dean were arguing, Dean picked up a sheathed knife and approached Weatherspoon. Weatherspoon was able to gain control of the knife and stabbed Dean fourteen times, causing Dean’s death.
Weatherspoon presented a defense of justification, or self-defense. At the time of the incident, Dean was fifty-five years old, had disabling diseases, and was intoxicated. Weatherspoon was then twenty-eight years old.
In its opinion on Weatherspoon’s direct appeal, the Iowa Court of Appeals summarized the facts of the case as follows:
Delona Webster was an exotic dancer at The Outer Edge, a dance club in Mason City, Iowa. On the evening of March 3, 1998, she met Jerry Dean, an Outer Edge patron. Dean gave her his address as room 125 in the Willow Run Annex.
After 1:30 a.m. that evening Michael Weatherspoon, Webster’s companion, took Webster and her two children to the Willow Run Annex to rendezvous with Dean. After being invited in by Dean, Dean asked Webster about having sex and offered $200. She refused. Webster told Dean she was going to leave. After considerable negotiations, Dean agreed to a dance. Webster wanted payment before she danced. At that time, Weatherspoon came in the door and asked Webster if something was wrong. Dean and Weatherspoon began to argue about payment for the private dance. Dean picked up a
sheathed knife on a table and approached Weatherspoon. Weatherspoon punched Dean, and a struggle began. Weatherspoon obtained control of the knife and stabbed Dean in the chest. Dean died as a result of the loss of blood due to fourteen separate stab wounds.
As Dean laid bleeding to death, Weatherspoon took Dean’s billfold. Weatherspoon, Webster, and the kids left the area. On the way back to their motel Weatherspoon made a derogatory comment and threw Dean’s billfold out of the window of the vehicle.
Webster disposed of Weatherspoon’s bloody clothes in a dumpster. On March 4, 1998, Weatherspoon paid $900 toward the purchase of a Cadillac automobile, using a false name. He was later arrested.
After a jury trial, Weatherspoon was convicted of First Degree Murder, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He appealed, and his appeal was referred to the Iowa Court of Appeals. The court affirmed his conviction, and the Iowa Supreme Court denied his application for further review.
On April 6, 2001, Weatherspoon filed an application for post-conviction relief in Cerro Gordo County District Court. After a bench trial, the application was denied. Weatherspoon appealed, and his appeal again was referred to the Iowa Court of Appeals. On March 31, 2005, the court affirmed the denial of his application, and Weatherspoon did not seek further review by the Iowa Supreme Court.
Weatherspoon appealed the district court decision denying his application for postconviction relief from his conviction for first-degree murder. The Iowa Court of Appeals found the grounds raised in this postconviction application were fully adjudicated in prior proceedings and they may not be the basis for relief in this action. We affirm the decision of the district court denying Weatherspoon’s application for postconviction relief.
Weatherspoon remains held in the Anamosa State Penitentiary.
I know for a fact, that not all of this is the whole factual story of what happened that night. Because the motel that delona and Michael stayed in, was the motel I happened to manage back at that time with my parents. We happened to be babysitting their baby at the time all this went down. They came back to our motel, next to the outer edge strip club, after the murder at the willow inn motel. They picked up their baby early in the AM, and then went to their room and then left shortly after, leaving most of all their belongings in the room still. That baby was the most adorable baby I’ve ever laid eyes on, and always wondered what happened to him. I was told a more gruesome story about the baby, and I hoped it wasn’t true. Shortly after they left, and me being very very pregnant at that time, in my ninth month of pregnancy, I was the one who went into their motel room and found all their stuff was still there, and after I locked it back up, two men in black suits were in the office cursing at me. Then asked me what I saw when I went in there. They were very aggressive towards me, and so I got aggressive back towards them. I was very hormonal. I was told that both, Delona and Michael were in on deans death, because of dean refusing to pay after her services to him. The guy they killed happened to be my ex brother in laws first baby mama’s uncle.
You people love spinning tales made up to fit your narrative of what you think happened! How do you know the knife was sheathed? How do you know Dean didn’t continue his initial assault on this man? It’s obvious Dean started it when he grabbed a knife. What makes you people assume or say Weatherspoon didn’t fear for his life? Saying he should have fled? If he had the chance to flee, don’t you think he would have, knowing his children were in the car? Use your heads! He was being attacked repeatedly to where Weatherspoon knew he had to get Dean off him in order to make it back alive to his children who were in the car! Passion/Provocation!
This is my father and I hope to be able to speak with him and see him sometime soon. This whole story is crazy I need to know more. So please if you have nothing nice to say keep your opinions. Also. My name is Joshua Lang. And he has tons of support in Michigan.
Wow this ia crazy I had no idea About this. So sad..why do ppl think it’s okay to murder someone?! Just a sad, sax world!