An unsuspecting Iowa trooper stumbled upon a disturbing situation Tuesday when they stopped to help a car stalled on the highway – and found a body riding in the passenger seat.
Jihad Abdul Malik Gasaway, 23, is accused of killing and abusing the corpse, although he claims the rider was alive moments before police arrived, the state’s public safety department said.
Gasaway was trying to restart his silver 2010 Chevrolet Malibu that was stranded on the side of the highway in Malcolm just after 8 a.m. when troopers arrived to help, according to an affidavit obtained by Law & Crime.
He asked to be jumped and admitted to officers that he had a 9 mm rifle.
Troopers quickly noticed a second man lying on his back in the passenger seat “covered in various clothing,” the document claims.
The man – later identified as 26-year-old Kemp Xavier Sherrod Harriel – was unresponsive and appeared to have a gunshot wound.
A 9 mm shell casing was found in the front floorboard and two spent bullets were in the front passenger door, officials said.
Jihad Abdul Malik Gasaway claimed his passenger was still alive before the army arrived. Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office
Gasaway was arrested and placed in a patrol car, where he allegedly said, “Please OK.”
During questioning, Gasaway told investigators that he and Harriel had left Cedar Rapids for Des Moines earlier that morning.
He claimed he covered his friend because “I thought he was so cold” and “kept him warm because we were both cold,” the document said.
Kemp Xavier Sherrod Harriel collapsed in the passenger seat with two gunshot wounds to the chest.KCCI
“I didn’t know (the victim) was gone until I saw the policeman’s eyes and read his lips. That’s when I started crying in the car. He’s alive and talking to me,” Gasaway allegedly said.
Gasaway later admitted that he had driven the Malibu into a ditch along the highway earlier that morning — while Harriel was still alive.
When asked what happened to Harriel, Gasawy is said to have said, “We did it.”
Investigators determined that Harriel was fatally shot twice in the chest, the state Medical Examiner’s Office said.
Gasaway is being held in the Poweshiek County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
