CEDAR RAPIDS – Jonathan Curtis Youngbear, age 20, from the Meskwaki Nation Settlement, Iowa, has been charged with first degree murder within “Indian Country.” The charge is contained in an Indictment filed on April 24, 2014, in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids.
The Indictment alleges that, on or about February 24, 2014, Youngbear killed Severn Daniel Jefferson on the Meskwaki Nation Settlement near Tama, Iowa. The Indictment alleges Youngbear killed Jefferson by stabbing him with a knife.
If convicted, Youngbear faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.
Youngbear appeared today in federal court in Cedar Rapids and was held without bond. Youngbear’s next appearance for trial is set for June 23, 2014.
As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
In 2010, the Department of Justice launched an initiative making public
safety in tribal communities a top priority.
SUBJECT IS INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY
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