Hunter
09/07/21
An Iowa City man who is accused of initiating a head-on collision that resulted in the death of a Texas man will learn his fate this afternoon in Sixth Judicial Court.
34-year-old Stephen Lucore is accused of driving his Hyundai Sonata eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 80 in June 2019 without his headlights on at night, traveling at 80 miles an hour when he collided with a Honda head-on. Five people were in the vehicle; one passenger, 64-year-old Robert Sawyer of Nocona, Texas, died of his injuries.
Lucore allegedly told authorities he was trying to kill himself. A few weeks before the incident, Lucore reportedly tried to kill himself by jumping off a parking ramp.
A competency hearing in October 2020 determined that he was fit to stand trial. A bench trial began on July 6th and ended with closing arguments filed on July 28th.
Court records indicate that Judge Jason Besler will read the verdict at 1:30 pm today.
Lucore faces life in prison without parole if convicted of Murder in the First Degree. He’s also charged with Vehicular Homicide, Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury, Serious Injury by Vehicle, and three counts of Willful Injury causing Bodily Injury. If convicted on those counts, he faces a combined sentence of up to 40 years in prison.