CEDAR RAPIDS – An Iowa man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for murder by gunshot to the head of a victim in Waterloo.
Alberto Quinto-Pascual, age 37, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 28, 2020, guilty plea to being a drug user in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Evidence at sentencing showed that on May 10, 2019, Quinto-Pascual met with a man at a bar in Waterloo. The two men left the bar and went to a house in Waterloo where Quinto-Pascual had been staying. While at the house, Quinto-Pascual retrieved a revolver he kept at the house and shot the victim in the head. Quinto-Pascual then wiped down the firearm, left the house, and hid the firearm behind a car in a nearby alley. Quinto-Pascual then went to a different house he also stayed at and, after nearly twenty minutes, called 911 to report the shooting. Quinto-Pascual told police that the victim had shot himself. Officers located the victim and transported him to a hospital. The victim eventually passed away from the injuries. During the sentencing, the court concluded that given the circumstances of the killing, Quinto-Pascual committed second-degree murder.
Quinto-Pascual was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Quinto-Pascual was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Quinto-Pascual killed a man with a gun he illegally possessed,” said United States Attorney Peter Deegan. “Through Project Guardian and Project Safe Neighborhoods, we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to prosecute the most dangerous individuals in our community.”
Quinto-Pascual is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and investigated by the Waterloo Police Department.