ZEARING, IOWA – An Iowa man was hospitalized and arrested after the alleged murder of his wife this week.
On November 13, 2019 at approximately 5:00 PM the Story County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a resident in Zearing.
The caller reported that the neighbor approached their residence and stated he had killed his wife. The initial information received indicated a domestic dispute had ensued resulting in the death of an adult female.
Upon arrival, deputies immediately made contact with and detained the male subject and located his deceased wife outside of their home at 610 South Center St. The preliminary investigation revealed that the victim suffered severe lacerations to her upper body. It was apparent to deputies that the male subject also had non-life threatening injuries consisting of lacerations to his arm. He was transported to Mary Greeley Medical Center for treatment of his injuries; and upon further investigation, was arrested and transported to the Story County Sheriff’s Office.
The victim was identified as 62 year old, Betty Jean Pillman, of Zearing.
The suspect is Gary Lee Pillman, a 70 year old male from Zearing. Gary Lee Pillman is currently being held at the Story County Sheriff’s Office and is charged with Murder 2nd Degree, a class “B” felony.
This is an ongoing investigation, the Story County Sheriff’s Office is being assisted in this investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Story County Attorney’s Office. incident is being investigated as a domestic violence case, and there is no danger to the public.
