Unsuspecting Iowa police officers stumbled upon a disturbing situation Tuesday when they stopped to help a car stuck on the road and found a dead body in the passenger seat.
Jihad Abdul Malik Gasaway, 23, was charged with murder and abuse of a corpse, despite his claims that the deceased cyclist was alive moments before police arrived, the state public safety department said.
Gasaway was trying to restart his stranded silver 2010 Chevrolet Malibu on the side of the road in Malcolm shortly after 8 a.m. when officers arrived to help, according to an affidavit obtained by Law & Crime.
He called for a jump and admitted to officers that he was in possession of a 9mm handgun.
Officers quickly noticed a second man slumped in the passenger seat “covered in various clothing,” documents allege.
The man, later identified as Kemp Xavier Sherrod Harriel, 26, was unresponsive and appeared to be suffering from gunshot wounds.
A 9mm shell casing was found in the front floorboard and two bullets fired into the front passenger door, authorities said.
Jihad Abdul Malik Gasaway claims his passenger was alive before police arrived. Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office
Gasaway was detained and placed inside the patrol car, where he allegedly said, “Please be okay.”
During questioning, Gasaway told investigators that he and Harriel had left Cedar Rapids for Des Moines early that morning.
He claimed he covered his friend because “I thought he was really cold” and “kept him warm because we were both cold,” the document said.
Kemp Xavier Sherrod Harriel was slumped in the passenger seat suffering two gunshot wounds to the chest. KCCI
“I didn’t know (the victim) was gone until I saw the police officer’s eyes and read his lips. That’s when I started crying in the car. He was alive and talking to me,” Gasaway allegedly said.
Gasaway later admitted that he had driven the Malibu into a ditch along the highway earlier that morning, at which time Harriel was still alive.
When asked what happened to the Harriel, Gasawy allegedly said, “We got into that.”
Investigators ruled that Harriel was fatally shot twice in the chest, the state Medical Examiner’s Office ruled.
Gasaway is being held in the Poweshiek County Jail on $50,000 bond.
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