A trial date has been set for a man charged with murder for a fatal Dubuque shooting.
Keywani D. Evans, 31, of Freeport, Ill., is charged in Iowa District Court of Dubuque County with first-degree murder, first-degree robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his trial now is scheduled for July 11 at the Dubuque County Courthouse.
The charges stem from the fatal shooting of Taiwon M. Jackson Jr., 20, of Dubuque.
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Court documents state that police responded to the 1900 block of Central Avenue at about 7 p.m. June 4. Jackson was found on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds and taken to MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Evans was attending a birthday party in that area with family members. Documents state that a witness reported he saw “Evans come up behind Jackson Jr. and shoot him with a handgun in the back of the head” and then “again in the face.”
“Police obtained surveillance video which shows Evans shooting Jackson Jr. from behind him in the back of the head,” documents state. “Video also shows Evans shooting Jackson Jr. two more times while on the ground.”
The surveillance video also shows Evans rolling Jackson over and taking an item out of his pocket, which a witness reported was a handgun, documents state. Evans was arrested about 12 hours after the shooting in the 2100 block of Holliday Drive.
Police have said that Evans knew Jackson, but court documents do not indicate a motive for the shooting. Documents note that Evans is a convicted felon.
Evans’ attorneys, Les Blair and Joey Hoover, recently filed a motion to separate the charge of possession of a firearm by a felon from Evans’ other two charges, meaning Evans would be tried separately on the firearm possession charge.
“Once the jury learns that (Evans) is prohibited from possessing firearms because he is a convicted felon, the jury will not be able to put that aside and judge allegations of murder and robbery that are completely independent both of the alleged firearm possession and the prior offense that resulted in (Evans) being a convicted felon,” the motion states. “This will deprive (Evans) of an impartial trial that is guaranteed by constitutions of the United States and the State of Iowa.”
Assistant Iowa Attorney General Douglas Hammerand filed a resistance to the motion, noting all of the charges arose from the same incident.
“In our case, the specific felony does not need to be identified,” the resistance states. “Furthermore, (Evans) can stipulate he is a convicted felon, and the state will not need to offer in evidence the prior judgment entry showing (Evans) was convicted of a felony.”
The motion to sever was discussed at a recent court hearing, but a ruling has not yet been filed.
