A woman accused of shooting a truck driver to death at an Iowa rest stop last September has been found mentally fit to stand trial for first degree murder.
Court documents filed on March 26 show that 44 year old Mariana T. Lesnic “does not appear to be suffering from any mental illness at this time and, accordingly, is competent to stand trial,” according to the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Lesnic has pled not guilty to first degree murder charges.
Lesnic stands accused of killing of 60 year old truck driver Ernest Kummer at the westbound I-80 rest stop in Iowa County near Victor. Prosecutors say that Lesnic “deliberately and without premeditation” shot Kummer to death inside the cab of his truck early on the morning of September 6, 2017.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear.
Kummer drove for Minnesota-based Copeland Trucking since 2010. He had worked as a truck driver for more than 35 years.
Lesnic remains in jail on a $1 million bond as she awaits her trial date, which will be set on April 6 at 3 p.m. If Lesnic is convicted, she faces the possibility of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
