GUILTY IA - JoEllen Browning, 65, found stabbed to death in home, Iowa City, April 2019 *husband arrested*

[PastTense]

"Complex and violent crime cases taken on by the Iowa City Police Department’s investigations section this year have led the department to bolster the ranks in that unit and rely more heavily on outside agencies for help...

The crunch on resources began earlier this year with the investigation into the death of JoEllen Browning. Browning, 65, was found stabbed to death early April 5 in her Iowa City home.

While Iowa City typically has taken the lead on its own homicide investigations — as was the case with four homicides in 2017 — Droll said authorities were deep into a large sex trafficking investigation and couldn’t pull investigators away from it.

“When Browning happened, we didn’t have the resources to throw at that one and we couldn’t abandon the sex trafficking case at that time,” he said. “We had identified some (sex trafficking) victims and when you know you have victims, you can’t just put that on the back burner.”

With that in mind, Droll said the department asked the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation to take the lead on the Browning homicide, which it did."
Iowa City police beef up investigation ranks after JoEllen Browning homicide, other complex cases

 

[PommyMommy]

AUG 27, 2019
Iowa City police: UI Health Care budget executive homicide investigation active
Nearly five months after the homicide of University of Iowa Health Care budget executive JoEllen Browning, there are no new updates in the investigation of her homicide, Iowa City public-information officer Sgt. Derek Frank said.

[...]

“We called in the DCI because our investigation division was swamped,” Frank said. “We’ve been trying to assist them. It hasn’t been put on the back burner; they are still actively investigating it.”

Frank emphasized that all police cases, particularly those involving murder, are unique. In some investigations, the evidence provides a lot of viable information on a suspect and leads to a quick arrest, he said, while others such as Browning’s case require more processing.

[...]

Contrary to public belief that the case trail has gone cold, Frank said, the investigation to locate Browning’s murder suspect is ongoing and has not been suspended. Nevertheless, he said he understands why the public would want to know more.

“We’re just being very careful so we don’t jeopardize the integrity of the investigation,” Frank said. “We’re not sharing anything that doesn’t need to be shared.”

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 10, 2019
Iowa City Police increases investigations units after multiple high-level cases
The Iowa City Police Department has added detectives after a sex trafficking case and a suspicious death that was later ruled a homicide.

The Iowa City Police Department works at a home in Iowa City on April 5, 2019. 65-year-old JoEllen Browning was found dead earlier that morning, and police later ruled the death a homicide. (Aaron Scheinblum/KCRG)

[...]

It has been more than five months since police found an Iowa City woman dead in her home, and investigators and the county attorney's office still have not announced any details why.

[...]

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the case because the Iowa City Police Department says it was already working a different case that took a lot of resources. Det. Lt. David Droll with the Iowa City Police Department said that decision was made quickly, mainly to ensure the homicide investigation received proper and thorough attention. Droll serves as the Detective Units Commander for the police department.

Droll said once they confirmed the death of Browning was going to lead to a homicide investigation, they asked DCI to take the lead on the case.

[...]

"At that point, most of our investigators were tied up on that human trafficking case- which was just getting bigger and bigger each day," Droll said.

[...]

 

[SharonNeedles]

Husband of JoEllen Browning charged with first-degree murder in her death

Roy Browning, Jr., 67, of Iowa City, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, according to booking information from the Johnson County Jail. He was taken into custody at around 7:13 p.m. on Monday, October 28.

Browning was married to JoEllen Browning, 65, who was found dead in their home on Friday, April 5, 2019. Her death was determined to be by homicide, and caused by sharp-force injuries.

 

[PommyMommy]

Husband of JoEllen Browning charged with first-degree murder in her death

Roy Browning, Jr., 67, of Iowa City, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, according to booking information from the Johnson County Jail. He was taken into custody at around 7:13 p.m. on Monday, October 28.

Browning was married to JoEllen Browning, 65, who was found dead in their home on Friday, April 5, 2019. Her death was determined to be by homicide, and caused by sharp-force injuries.

I am not surprised, but geez, it took long enough.

Noting:

Roy Browning, Jr., 67, of Iowa City (Courtesy: Johnson County Jail)

[...]

Roy is being held at the Johnson County Jail on a $5 million bond. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Nov. 8.

 

[NervousNellie]

I know they always say, "these things take time," and I know we sometimes eventually see resolution and/or charges, but I can't imagine being a family member and waiting for answers this long.

I know it's probably uncool to quote my own post... but I'm guessing this was one family member who was okay with the investigation taking a while. Not a surprising outcome, but not any less sad. I can't imagine being stabbed to death by my husband. Even if they were having difficulties, she probably never imagined this outcome for her life(death). RIP JoEllen.

 

[PommyMommy]

OCT 29, 2019
Records: Husband killed UI administrator after she found 'problems' with finances, planned meeting with banker

1. RB called police to report that JoEllen was unresponsive in her bedroom, according to a criminal complaint filed in Johnson County.
2. She had been stabbed in the front and back of her torso and her left hand.
3. LE found no evidence of forced entry but found blood in the master bedroom and shower.
4. A sample taken from JB's fingernail showed DNA from RB on her finger.
5. Bank records show that RB had taken money from a joint bank account and placed into a personal account for himself.
6. JB on April 1 texted her husband, asking him about account discrepancies and told him she wanted to talk with their financial institution.
7. She set up a meeting and informed her husband via text April 4 that the couple was to see a banker the following day. He acknowledged the meeting, but the same day purchased gloves and towels from a store.
8. Video surveillance put him at the store less than an hour after being informed of the visit with the financial institution.
9. RB had taken out at least four different loans of $4,000 with an interest rate of more than 300% in Illinois. He told the company not to contact his wife about the checks.
10. "JoEllen was preparing for tax season and had found some problems with Roy and JoEllen's accounts..." the complaint states. "The representative was prepared to tell JoEllen at this meeting that one of their savings accounts was depleted and Roy had taken out out loans of which JoEllen was not aware.
11. "The representative was prepared to tell JoEllen that an account JoEllen thought was active never actually existed."
12. Records showed that RB used his personal account to pay more than $17,600 toward the balance on a cc under JB's name shortly after she died.
13. The credit card was still being used after her funeral April 12.
14. "JoEllen Browning had a retirement and life insurance policy worth in excess of $2 million," per the complaint. "In reviewing finances, records show that JoEllen Browning was financially stable and Roy Browning did not have revenue source."
    
15. Investigators never found the items Roy bought at the paint supply store.

 

[PommyMommy]

OCT 29, 2019
Husband charged with murder in fatal stabbing of JoEllen Browning, Iowa City
[...]

Roy Browning’s DNA was found with blood on nail clippings of JoEllen Browning, investigators said. The DNA report also showed JoEllen’s blood on the front storm door handle of their home and in the bathroom shower.

[...]

 

[NervousNellie]

He clearly doesn't watch much CSI...

 

[PommyMommy]

OCT 29, 2019
Iowa man killed wife after she found 'problems' with finances, planned meeting with banker: Records
[...]

Authorities told the Iowa City Press-Citizen that they conducted 100 interviews during the investigation. Roy Browning's charges were filed Monday afternoon, court records show.

[...]

Roy Browning appears to be hiring his own attorney, court records show, and is next due in court at 2 p.m. Nov. 8.

Investigators believe alleged Iowa City murder could have been financially motivated
[...]

Court documents allege that Roy had been lying to his wife about money. In one example, the DCI cited a time when he created a fake bank statement that showed a joint account between JoEllen and Roy with a balance of $97,830.17 in it. According to official statements, however, that account actually only had $88.76 left in it.

[...]

When JoEllen noticed that had occurred when "preparing for tax season," she scheduled a meeting with their financial institution. That meeting was supposed to take place on April 5 at 8 a.m., according to court documents. That was the same day Roy called 911 and reported her unresponsive.

[...]

The DCI said credit card records for JoEllen showed a balance of $17,643.86 as of April 6. The next statement showed a payment for the exact amount made by phone on April 12 from Roy's individual checking account, with the card still being used after JoEllen's funeral on April 11.

The Iowa DCI Laboratory in Ankeny examined the blood under JoEllen's nails, and they found DNA that was not hers; they identified DNA belonging to Roy in the test. The report said "the probability of finding this profile in a population of unrelated individuals, chosen at random, would be less than one out of 310 trillion."

[...]

Neighbors are glad to see an arrest for the murder of JoEllen Brown
While Roy Browning went before a judge Tuesday, news of his arrest began trickling out in his neighborhood.

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RL lives about three blocks from Browning's house and in his 40 years living here he says crime is something very uncommon in that area.

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“It appears to be an unfortunate family situation and that’s sad but again it’s a bit of a relief there appears to be a resolution and that there’s no threat to the people around here," says RL.

[...]

Some neighbors finding out about Browning's arrest say it's about time, but Iowa DCI tells CBS2/Fox28 News this investigation took nearly seven months because of the time it took issuing warrants and preparing a thorough conclusion for the attorney to review.

[...]

“I guess at this point there’s confirmation that there’s no threat. But I never felt frightened to be in the area," says Lamb.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

OCT 29, 2019
Records: Financially troubled husband accused of killing JoEllen Browning of Iowa City
[...]

...the truth was likely to have come out during a meeting the couple had scheduled for an hour after she was found dead, the court record shows.

[...]

...a judge set Browning’s bail at $5 million cash or surety bond.

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The affidavit states investigators found photographs of “apparent banking records” at the home. However, when compared with known records, investigators found “numerous discrepancies” between the documents, including a non-existent account in the photographed record, the affidavit states.

[...]

A text message from JoEllen to her husband also showed they had scheduled a meeting at their financial institution at 8 a.m. April 5 — an hour before she was found dead. Roughly 20 minutes after Roy confirmed via text message he was aware of the meeting, he was at the paint supply store buying gloves and towels.

[...]

DCI Special Agent-in-Charge Rick Rahn said investigators could not disclose yet how they believe he was spending the diverted money.

“That will come out as the case unfolds,” he said.

[...]

Roy Browning said little as he appeared for his initial appearance over closed-circuit television from the jail Tuesday. He told Judge Deb Minot that he would not need a court-appointed attorney. However, no attorney was present for Browning during Tuesday’s brief appearance.

[...]

JoEllen Browning death timeline

April 1, 12:01 p.m. JoEllen emails Roy to ask about discrepancies in their bank accounts.

April 4, 1:17 p.m. JoEllen texts Roy to tell him they have a meeting scheduled with their financial institution on April 5 at 8 a.m.

April 4, 1:33 p.m. Roy responds “Yes” via text to JoEllen, indicating he was aware of the meeting.

April 4, 1:51 p.m. Roy purchases rubber palmed nitrile gloves and a package of six white towels from a paint supply store. He is also given 8-10 latex gloves for free. The items purchased are never recovered by police.

April 5, 6:59 a.m. Roy calls 911 and reports finding his wife unresponsive. First responders find her dead in the couple’s bathroom floor.

April 5, 8 a.m. The meeting with the Brownings and their financial institution never takes place. A representative from the financial institution later tells investigators they were prepared to tell JoEllen that one of their savings accounts was depleted, Roy had taken out loans and an account JoEllen thought was active never existed.

 

[PommyMommy]

OCT 29, 2019
Husband arrested for April murder of JoEllen Browning
[...]

Criminal Complaint against Roy Browning, pg. 1

Husband charged with first-degree murder of UI Health Care budget official JoEllen Browning
[...]

Iowa City attorney Leon Spies is representing Roy C. Browning Jr. Spies has previously represented John Bloomfield and UI lecturer Jeffrey Nock, who were accused of first-degree murder and sexual harassment, respectively.

[...]

The director of operating budgets at UI Health Care for 42 years, a neighbor described JoEllen Browning as “the nicest person you could ever know,” The Daily Iowan previously reported. She was planning on retiring in February 2020. She was also a Eucharistic minister at the Newman Catholic Student Center.

[...]

Browning is survived by her two children and four siblings.

 

[PommyMommy]

OCT 29, 2019
Husband charged in slaying of Iowa health care administrator
[...]

...they also did not find the alleged murder weapon and Roy Browning denied involvement.

[...]

Roy Browning had previously been an owner of investment properties and in 2011 founded a company that made promotional apparel and products. But court records indicate he had financial problems in recent years, and Riessen's affidavit alleged he wasn't making any money by 2019.

[...]

Arrest made in JoEllen Browning homicide case | City of Iowa City

• On Monday, Oct. 28, 2019, RB was arrested and charged with Murder in the First Degree, Iowa State Criminal Code 707.2.
• He made his initial appearance Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019 in Johnson County District Court.
• If convicted, Murder in the First Degree carries a mandatory life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

 

[Tripod]

I feel terrible for their adult children and families. Another senseless murder.

 

[PommyMommy]

NOV 8, 2019
JoEllen Browning left $2M to her husband of 43 years. Now he's accused of killing her.
An Iowa man accused of killing his wife — a University of Iowa administrator — stood to gain more than $2 million from her death, mostly in retirement accounts, court records show.

[…]

Her primary beneficiary in the event of her death: her husband.

[...]

It's unclear how much of his wife's money Roy Browning Jr. spent during those months. But as the executor of her will, the main beneficiary of her life insurance policy and retirement accounts, and partial owner of joint accounts and property, he could have taken sole control of $2.6 million in capital and other assets.

Leon Spies, Browning Jr.'s attorney in his murder case, rejected authorities' claim that his client had no independent source of revenue.

[…]

Spies declined to detail the 67-year-old's financial situation, citing client-attorney privilege, but he said Browning Jr. owns residential, commercial and personal property in eastern Iowa.

[…]

Steve Pajunen, the former owner of Zephyr Printing & Design in Iowa City, purchased one of Roy Browning Jr.'s businesses in 2009.

"My understanding is Roy always had a lot of debt," Pajunen said. "He was into starting new businesses. Some didn't work out, and he carried debt on those."

[...]

Several family members and friends of the Brownings contacted by the Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen did not respond to requests for comment or declined to speak with a reporter.

[...]

Over the years, JoEllen — through joint accounts with her husband and in individual accounts — built up millions in capital and assets.

Generally, with joint bank accounts, the spouse of the decedent could immediately use that money if the financial institution permits it, said Tim Feeney, a partner in a Davenport law firm that handles probate cases.

[…]

JoEllen Browning's will would have given Browning Jr. control of all property as soon as 30 days after her death, according to her will.

Her retirement accounts are the most lucrative, according to the asset inventory that Browning Jr. submitted in probate documents for his wife. JoEllen Browning amassed more than $1.5 million in retirement accounts in addition to life insurance proceeds.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

NOV 12, 2019
Man accused of killing his wife will plead not guilty, lawyer says
[…]

"I can confidently tell you Roy Browning (Jr.) will be pleading not guilty," attorney Leon Spies told the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

[…]

Spies said the plea will be filed with the Johnson County Courthouse before Nov. 22. He has not yet seen any discovery materials from prosecutors, he said Tuesday.

The Brownings' adult daughter, EBA of Des Moines, is included on a long list of potential prosecution witnesses, according to court documents.

[…]

Des Moines woman listed as witness in murder case alleging her father killed her mother, a UI administrator
[…]

Witnesses listed on the document include one of the couple's two adult children, EBA of Des Moines. She said last month that she and her brother did not wish to comment on the arrest of their father, saying the family "needs time to heal."

Other witnesses include several employees of the Iowa City Police Department and the Division of Criminal Investigation. Representatives of multiple banks are also listed.

[…]

Browning is being held at the Johnson County jail and is scheduled to be arraigned next week.

 

[PommyMommy]

NOV 20, 2019
Iowa City man pleads not guilty in fatal stabbing of wife, JoEllen Browning
[…]

Roy Carl Browning Jr., 67, filed the written plea Tuesday in Johnson County District Court. No trial date has been set.

[…]

There was no signs of a break-in at the home, court documents show. Blood was found in the couple’s master bedroom and in the shower. Blood also was found on the right hand fingernail clippings of JoEllen. A blood analysis showed it had come from her and her husband.

“The probability of finding (Roy Browning’s) profile in a population of unrelated individuals, chosen at random, would be less than 1 out of 310 trillion,” the affidavit states.

[…]

One of the couple’s accounts showed a balance of $97,830 on Dec. 31, 2018. However, records provided by the couple’s financial institution showed the actual balance was only $88.76, according to court documents.

Upon further review of the bank account, it showed the money was removed from a joint account and moved into the sole account of Roy Browning, according to the affidavit.

[…]

NOV 22, 2019
Trial date set for man accused of killing wife JoEllen Browning
[…]

The trial will begin at 9 a.m. on March 10 at the Johnson County Courthouse. Browning has been charged with first-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty.

A case management conference date has also been set for 9 a.m. on Feb. 14. At the conference, Browning will either reaffirm his not guilty plea, change his plea to guilty, or offer to plead guilty in order to come to a plea deal, according to court documents.

[…]

 

[Tripod]

I hope his children will be able to get a decent portion of their mother's inheritance. If he's found guilty, of course. Even so, if that man has even an ounce of goodness in him he will hand over much of it to them.
I suppose the adult children will have to wait until a trial is over, but I am afraid attorneys will end up with a large percentage

 

[Razz]

I wonder why the original reporting said she'd been stabbed in the garage?

Being deceased in the MB with no apparent break in and the husband calling it in....certainly defines this as
possible spousal homocide by the husband.

Had I been a neighbor, that would have made me feel much less apprehensive.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

I wonder what this guy was spending all this $$ on....