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Murder trial starts Monday in Clinton, Iowa

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By Steven Martens | Friday, May 16, 2008 |

CLINTON, Iowa — The murder trial of Benaiah Mablin is scheduled to start with jury selection Monday in Clinton.

Mablin, 26, has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery in the Dec. 13 stabbing death of Sandra Chambers-Singh, 41, of Clinton.

Neighbors discovered Chambers-Singh’s body in her apartment at 519 S. 3rd St. after noticing blood in the building’s hallway.

Mablin allegedly told investigators he was visiting Chambers-Singh at her apartment when he saw her going through his coat and suspected she was trying to steal something, according to court records. The two argued, and he allegedly stabbed her several times and then fled the scene in her van, later abandoning it in an alley in the 2300 block of Wallace Street, according to court documents.

Chambers-Singh’s 3-year-old son was at home when she was stabbed, and was placed in the custody of the Iowa Department of Human Services. Clinton County Attorney Mike Wolf declined to comment on where the boy is now.

Mablin is being represented by public defender Bruce Ingham, who has filed notice of his intent to use a defense of insanity or diminished responsibility, according to court records.

Wolf and James Kivi of the Iowa attorney general’s office will prosecute the case. If convicted, Mablin faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.

Steven Martens can be contacted at (563) 659-2595 or smartens@qctimes.com.

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