Nathaniel Byron Kassel, who sent alarming texts to family members indicating his intent to harm his mother before allegedly committing the act, has reached an agreement with prosecutors.
He is set to plead guilty to one count of first-degree murder related to the March 2023 killing of his mother, Jody Lynn Duskin, according to The N’West Iowa Review.
Under Iowa state law, individuals convicted of first-degree murder face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Court documents, filed by O’Brien County District Court Judge John M. Sandy on September 1, reveal that an agreement has been reached between the District Attorney’s Office and Kassel regarding the guilty plea and punishment.
Judge Sandy has scheduled a joint plea and sentencing hearing for September 18, with instructions for Kassel's attorney, Sioux City Public Defender Jon Loos Jr., to submit a formal guilty plea prior to the proceeding.
Kassel's trial had previously been postponed multiple times, with the most recent scheduled date being October 17.
According to a press release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Sheldon Police Department responded to a call on March 23, around 4 p.m., reporting the discovery of a deceased adult female inside a residence in the 600 block of 4th Avenue in Sheldon, approximately 225 miles northwest of Des Moines.
Upon arrival, first responders found the victim, later identified as Duskin, who had been deceased for several hours.
An autopsy conducted by the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner determined that Duskin died on March 23, ruled as a homicide due to a gunshot wound to the head.
On March 24, authorities in South Dakota located Kassel in Flandreau around noon and took him into custody.
The Santee Sioux Tribe police chief spotted the 2013 Ford Edge registered to Duskin at the Royal River Casino & Hotel and apprehended Kassel at the nearby Native Nations Cannabis Dispensary. Kassel was found in possession of two handguns believed to have been taken from his mother's home.
Additional details from the criminal complaint, obtained by the Review, shed light on the circumstances surrounding Duskin's death.
On the evening of Wednesday, March 22, Kassel sent text messages to several family members, expressing his intention to harm his mother, stating, "I'm killing Jody." Later that night, around 11:30 p.m., he was reportedly heard in a phone conversation admitting to making a mistake and causing harm to someone.
In another news, a rapper from Nevada found himself arrested on a murder charge, with Las Vegas police citing his song lyrics as a confession to the crime. See detailed story
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