Lang
5/16/21
A murdered Iowa City man was apparently the victim of a catfishing scheme.
That’s according to Iowa City Police, who have announced the arrest of 29-year-old Renard Winfield Jr. of Gary, Indiana in the case.
Winfield is accused of pretending to be a woman on a dating app and setting up a face-to-face meeting with Tommy Curry of Iowa City. The two agreed to meet at the Meadowlark Condos on Lakeside Drive, and at around 8pm the night of April 28th, Winfield is accused of shooting Curry multiple times as he sat inside his car in the condos’ parking lot.
Investigators developed Winfield as a suspect after they found a text conversation with an unknown number in Curry’s phone. The conversation began on January 23rd, and it included plans to meet at the Meadowlark Condos. Police traced the phone number back to Winfield, and tracking info from Winfield’s carrier placed him at the scene at the time of the murder. They also contacted the dating website, which confirmed the “female” account actually belonged to Winfield.
Police say they have other evidence supporting Winfield as the suspect. They include eyewitnesses who saw the shooting, witnesses who saw the white SUV Winfield was driving fleeing the scene, surveillance footage showing the SUV fleeing the scene, surveillance video from elsewhere in Iowa City showing Winfield driving the SUV the day before and the day of the murder, a screenshot of Curry’s dating profile on Winfield’s cellphone, a video recorded the day before the murder of Winfield with a handgun that appears to be the same caliber as the one used in the murder, a video of Winfield in possession of ammunition that was later found at the murder scene, and video of Winfield purchasing the same ammunition the day before the murder.
The SUV was later determined to belong to Winfield’s relative.
Winfield was booked into the Johnson County Jail just before 4pm Saturday and charged with 1st Degree Murder. If convicted, he faces life in prison. Police have not released a possible motive.
Winfield was also wanted after allegedly threatening an employee of the City of Iowa City at the end of July 2020. According to the complaint, he called the woman while she was at work from a blocked number. He requested information about another man in reference to a case Winfield was involved in. He allegedly stated that if the woman didn’t provide the information he wanted, he would “pull up” on her and her family, slang for threatening to fight. Winfield is charged with 1st degree harassment in that case, an aggravated misdemeanor.