NORTHWOOD – Tyrone Washington Jr. was found guilty by a jury in Fort Dodge Tuesday of first degree murder in the 2013 stabbing death of a Northwood woman.
Tyrone Washington Jr. was charged with murder in the first degree, a class A felony in the 2013 death of Justina Smith. On August 5, 2013 at 11:41 AM, the Worth County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a female requesting help at Swensrud Park in Northwood, Iowa. Deputies responded to the area and located Smith with severe injuries. Deputies learned Washington had fled the scene and taken the victim’s car, a silver 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix. He was later caught and arrested after a pursuit when he left Interstate 80 in Eastern Iowa and drove through corn and bean fields. Smith died as a result of multiple sharp force injuries, an autopsy revealed.
Washington’s trial was moved to Fort Dodge in order to secure a fair trial and pick a more diverse jury. He will be sentenced on the afternoon of August 31 at the Worth County Courthouse. Washington’s conviction means a mandatory sentence of life in prison, and he cannot be paroled.
INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY
