Troopers in Iowa this week made a grim discovery on a highway. They came across a stalled car and found a man's lifeless body hidden under clothes in the passenger seat. The driver, Jihad Abdul Malik Gasaway, 23, who had requested assistance from the officers to jump-start his car, was subsequently arrested on charges of murder and abuse of a corpse.
He was booked into the Poweshiek County Jail on $50,000 bail.
The incident unfolded on a Tuesday morning when Iowa State Patrol responded to a stranded Chevrolet Malibu on Interstate 80 at the 187-mile marker. A trooper found Gasaway attempting to restart the stalled vehicle.
According to an affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, when troopers arrived at the scene, Gasaway was outside the vehicle. He informed the officers that he needed a jump-start and mentioned having a gun, a Taurus 9 mm pistol, which later turned out to be the murder weapon.
Further investigation led to the discovery of another individual in the front passenger seat of the car. The man was concealed under various items of clothing and was unresponsive to the troopers' attempts to communicate with him.
Notably, Gasaway did not call 911 for medical assistance or inform the officers that there was a deceased person in the vehicle. He had covered the body with clothing in an attempt to hide it.
During questioning at the sheriff's office, Gasaway claimed that he and the victim had left Cedar Rapids for Des Moines early that morning. He explained that he had covered the victim because he believed the person was very cold and wanted to keep them warm. However, he claimed he only realized the victim was deceased when he saw the police officers' reactions.
Investigators later discovered that a vehicle had been reported in a ditch along I-80 near mile marker 205 at 6:01 that morning. They also learned that the 2010 Malibu had been in a ditch earlier, before stopping near mile marker 188.
When questioned about whether the victim was alive when the Malibu went into the ditch, Gasaway responded affirmatively. When asked about the victim's fate, he mentioned that they had a confrontation.
During a search of the Malibu, investigators found a 9 mm shell casing on the front floorboard and two expended bullets in the front passenger door, all matching the gun that had been taken from Gasaway.
It remains unclear whether Gasaway has legal representation.
In another news, the individual suspected of taking the life of Ryan Carson, an emerging advocate in public policy, found himself under arrest on Wednesday, facing murder charges. See detailed story here
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