Lang
10/6/23
More details have been released in the case of a man found driving with a dead body in his car on Interstate 80 west of Iowa City.
The Iowa State Patrol says it responded to a stranded motorist on I-80 westbound just west of the Brooklyn exit just before 8:15 Tuesday morning. Troopers located 23-year-old Jihad Abdul Malik Gasaway attempting to re-start a stalled vehicle. After an initial investigation, Gasaway was temporarily detained and the troopers say they located a handgun in his pocket. During a search of the vehicle, the body of an unresponsive male…later identified as 26-year-old Kemp Xavier Sherrod Harriel…was located on the floor and slumped over the passenger seat. Harriel’s body was concealed underneath clothing items and appeared to have suffered gunshot wounds. Harriel was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators determined the shooting had occurred inside the passenger area of the vehicle.
Gasaway was transported to the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office and charged with Abuse of a Corpse. On Wednesday, the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office determined Harriel died of two gunshot wounds to the chest. On Thursday, Gasaway was additionally charged with 1st Degree Murder. If convicted on the murder charge alone, Gasaway faces life in prison.