Plea hearing Tuesday in Zearing kidnapping, abuse case

STORY COUNTY, Iowa — One member of the Zearing family accused of kidnapping and injuring another family member is scheduled to be in court Tuesday for a plea hearing.

Aaron Williams is expected to plead guilty to lesser charges in the case. He was originally charged with first-degree kidnapping and willful injury causing serious injury. In September, the kidnapping charge was amended to third-degree.

He was charged along with his mother Danielle K. Graham, stepfather Gary Graham, and sister Kaitlynn Williams in March.  Investigators with the Story County Sheriff’s Office said the victim, identified in court documents as the 18-year-old son of Danielle Graham, “suffered severe and life-threatening injuries from abuse, including a brain bleed, rib fractures, wounds in multiple stages of healing, and weighed 70 pounds due to severe malnourishment.”

Aaron Williams’ plea hearing is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. at the Story County Courthouse in Nevada.

Gary Graham’s trial is set for December 3rd and Danielle Graham’s trial is scheduled to start March 4th, 2025. Kaitlynn Williams, who was 16 at the time of her arrest, attempted to have her trial moved to juvenile court but the effort was denied and she will be tried as an adult . Her trial is scheduled for January 28th, 2025.

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