Lang
7/25/23
A former Quad Cities gang member convicted of murder has died at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
According to the Iowa Department of Corrections, 42-year-old Romeo Casino Hardin was pronounced dead at 6:22 Sunday morning. He’d been transported to the UIHC on Tuesday, July 18th following an unexpected medical emergency at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Anamosa.
An autopsy will be conducted to determine cause of death. Foul play is not suspected.
Hardin had been serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for the crime of 1st Degree Murder from Scott County. Hardin was convicted of killing his friend, Augustus Nance, in 1996, when Hardin was only 15 years old. According to the Quad City Times, Hardin testified in 2014 that he was associated with gangs, and Nance’s home in Davenport was identified as a rival’s hangout.
The gang picked Hardin, its youngest member, to shoot at the house. Hardin fired eight rounds, with two striking Nance. The 21-year-old Nance was a former gang member and convicted killer who had just been paroled from prison.
Hardin’s sentence began on April 7, 1997.