Dubuque Teen Charged with Murder Pleas to Lesser Charge

A Dubuque teen has been sentenced to two years of probation after pleading guilty to a lesser charge in relation to a fatal 2023 shooting. 17-year-old Tiarha D. Godwin, 17, recently received the sentence from Iowa District Court Judge Monica Zrinyi Ackley after pleading guilty to a charge of accessory after the fact, an aggravated misdemeanor. Godwin initially was charged in Iowa District Court of Dubuque County with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery in the shooting death of Lonnie E. Burns, 31, of Dubuque. Court documents state that Godwin was at Burns’ residence as part of a group there to rob Burns of drugs and money they believed to be in his home.