Cedar Rapids man found with dead man in stalled car sentenced to 55 years

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A Cedar Rapids man, who state troopers pulled over in October 2023 and found he had a dead man in his passenger seat, was sentenced this week for attempted murder and four other charges in Poweshiek County District Court. Jihad Abdul Malik Gasaway, 24, initially charged with first-degree murder, pleaded in January to a lesser charge of attempted murder, willful injury causing serious injury, assault while participating in a felony causing serious injury, and abuse of a corpse. All are felonies.



According to a criminal complaint, the dead man was identified as Kemp Xavier Sherrod Harriel, 26, also of Cedar Rapids. An autopsy revealed he died of two gunshot wounds to the chest, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety. Eighth Judicial District Judge Shawn Showers ran the five charges consecutively and sentenced Gasaway to up to 55 years in prison.

He must serve 70 percent of 25 years on the attempted murder conviction and five-year mandatory minimums for the willful injury and assault convictions. Gasaway must serve a mandatory minimum of 27 1/2 years before being eligible for parole. He also was ordered to pay restitution to Harriel's estate or heirs.

According to court documents, Iowa State Patrol troopers responded at 8:10 a.m. to a report of a stranded vehicle on westbound I-80 near mile marker 188, between Grinnell and Malcolm.

Troopers said Gasaway was attempting to restart the stalled silver 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. After initially talking with Gasaway, the troopers retrieved a gun from him and when they searched the car, they found Harriel slumped over the passenger seat and on the floor, concealed under clothing. Harriel was pronounced dead the scene.

During an interview with law enforcement, Gasaway said he and Harriel left Cedar Rapids for Des Moines early that morning. Gasaway told officers he covered Harriel with clothing because he thought he was cold and was waiting for the police, according to a criminal complaint. While sitting in the troopers' car, Gasaway was heard on a recording saying, "Please be OK.

" Later, during his police interview, he said he didn't know Harriel "was gone until I watched the police eyes and read his lips. That's when I started crying in the car. He was alive and talking to me.

" When asked what happened to Harriel, Gasaway told officers that "we got into it." He also told officers Harriel had been alive earlier that morning, when the car had been in a ditch elsewhere along I-80. Investigators found a 9 mm shell casing on the floor in the car and two fired bullets inside the front passenger door.

The casing matched the gun that had been taken from Gasaway, the complaint stated. Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.

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