Pretrial conferences slated for today

Pretrial conferences slated for today

By Melissa Regennitter of the Muscatine Journal

MUSCATINE, Iowa - Two high-profile pretrial conferences were scheduled to be held at the Muscatine County Courthouse this morning involving a Muscatine murder case and an unrelated child abuse case.

At 10:30 a.m., Edgardo Serrato, 19, Muscatine, was scheduled to appear on charges related to the October 2006 murder of Miriam Carmona that his brother Victor Serrato allegedly committed.

Edgardo Serrato is accused of being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, accessory after the fact to first-degree kidnapping, accessory after the fact to nonconsensual termination of a human pregnancy and obstruction of prosecution, all aggravated misdemeanors.

At 10:45 a.m., Melanie Leathers-Addington, 29, of Muscatine, was scheduled to appear on a felony child endangerment charge. Leathers-Addington is accused of shaking and slamming 2-month-old Tyler Addington, causing permanent brain injury. She is facing a mandatory prison sentence not to exceed 10 years.

According to court records, Leathers-Addington was in the process of adopting the baby.