Man Sentenced for Trying to Kill Mom in NE Iowa

ELKADER, Iowa (AP) — A 25-year-old Pella man accused of trying to kill his mother at her Elkader home has been given 45 years in prison.

Brandon Thoma was sentenced Tuesday. Thoma pleaded guilty to attempted murder, burglary, theft, and assault on a jailer. Police say he broke into Theresa Thoma's home Nov. 10, punched and kicked her, pushed her down a flight of stairs and attempted to choke her with a shovel.

Her husband returned from work several hours later and found her badly injured. Rory Thoma says she still requires therapy in recovering from her injuries.