A Webster City man who was scheduled to be on trial Feb. 24 has had his trial date rescheduled.

Gunner Michael Jones, 27, who waived his right to a speedy trial in September, will now appear before a Hamilton County jury on July 7, 2026.

He has been charged with murder in the first degree for his alleged role in the April 2023 death of an infant who was in his care.

According to Hamilton County Sheriff Alex Pruismann, Jones was transferred to a state prison facility Monday.

“He will be moved back to Hamilton County once the trial starts here.” Pruismann said.

On April 16, 2023, officers and medical personnel responded to a 911 call of an unresponsive infant, according to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The infant was transported to Van Diest Medical Center in Webster City and later transferred to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines where he was pronounced dead.

According to the criminal complaint filed with Hamilton County District Court, the mother of the child called 911 at 1:45 a.m. after discovering her son was “unresponsive and turning blue and cold to the touch.”

Both Jones and the child’s mother told authorities that they were alone in the residence prior to the child’s death and the mother stated when she went to sleep that night, Jones remained awake with the child. DCI stated in the complaint that Jones was the only individual with the child prior to the injuries being inflicted.

The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries to the infant’s head and listed the manner of death as homicide.

The prison facility where Jones was moved is unknown at this time.