Iowa police charged Jihad Abdul Malik Gasaway, 23, with first-degree murder Thursday for allegedly killing a 26-year-old man and concealing his body under a pile of clothing in his car, authorities said.
Iowa state troopers found Gasaway, standing next to his car on Interstate 80 around 8:10 a.m., according to an Iowa Public Safety press release. Gasaway reportedly told the troopers he needed a jump-start for his stalled silver Chevy Malibu.
“Upon further investigation … [Gasaway] stated that he was in possession of a firearm and produced it,” the release read. “Troopers were able to secure the firearm and the male suspect.” (RELATED: Woman Pleads Guilty To Murder After Feigning Car Trouble, Luring Florida Man To His Death: US Attorney’s Office)
#Iowa : (10/3/23) – Unsuspecting Iowa troopers stumbled upon a disturbing situation Tuesday when they stopped to help a man with a stalled car on the highway — and found a dead body riding in the passenger seat. 😳
• Jihad Abdul Malik Gasaway (23) was arrested and charged with… pic.twitter.com/5ChhQyjiYS
— True Crime with Laura🕵🏼♀️⚖️ (@Lauraonthecase) October 7, 2023
Officers then noticed an unresponsive man slumped in the passenger’s seat under a pile of clothing and requested medical help, according to the release. After arriving, medical professionals and investigators determined the man, identified as Kemp Xavier Sherrod Harriel, had died from gunshot wounds sustained in the vehicle, per the press release.
“[Gasaway] did not notify anyone of the male subject inside the vehicle … [or] call 911 to request medical assistance,” according to the arrest affidavit.
While sitting in the police cruiser, Gasaway was reportedly heard saying, “Please be OK” as troopers inspected Harriel’s body, the affidavit states.
Officers found a spent 9 mm casing on the floor of Gasaway’s Malibu, as well as two bullets lodged in the passenger door, both of which matched Gasaway’s gun, police said.
After being taken to the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office, Gasaway told interrogators he and Harriel had left that morning from Cedar Rapids en route to Des Moines, the affidavit shows. Gasaway told authorities he “didn’t know [Harriel] was gone until [he] watched the police eyes [sic] and read his lips … that’s when I started crying in the car.”
Gasaway reportedly told authorities Harriel was buried under clothing because he thought he was cold. “[I] kept him warm because we were both cold,” Gasaway is reported to have said. “I just waited for the police.”
When authorities pressed Gasaway to explain what had happened, he simply replied, “We got into it,” according to the affidavit.
The Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa State Patrol and the Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating the case while Gasaway remains in police custody, according to the Department of Public Safety press release.