Rural Maquoketa man appeals murder conviction

An area man recently sentenced to 50 years in prison for murder is appealing his case. 38-year-old Brian A. Manning, of rural Maquoketa, received the sentence May 3 in Iowa District Court of Jackson County after previously being found guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of 60-year-old Michael Berg. A jury found Manning guilty March 29 after a five-day trial. His attorney, Gary McKenrick, recently filed a notice to the Iowa Supreme Court appealing the verdict and subsequent sentencing. Online court records did not list a reason for the appeal, although prior to sentencing McKenrick entered a motion for new trial and arrest of judgment on the grounds that jurors’ verdict was a result of “prejudicial error” on the part of prosecutors. That motion was denied.