Man to be sentenced in April for death of 4-month-old

WESTGATE, Iowa (AP) — A northeastern Iowa man is scheduled to be sentenced in April for the death of the 4-month-old nephew of his ex-girlfriend. Twenty-four-year-old Dean Alan Hettinger, of Westgate, was convicted last week of first-degree murder and child endangerment. The Des Moines Register reports that he faces life in prison. The baby, Holten Smith, was being cared for by his aunt and Hettinger in April 2018 when he was abused. A search warrant said the couple took the infant to a hospital after he was found twitching, stopped crying and was unresponsive. He died about a month later.