Hiawatha man charged in death of mother will claim insanity, self-defense at trial

CEDAR RAPIDS - A Hiawatha man accused of killing his 56-year-old mother by shoving a rotten apple down her throat will claim diminished responsibility/insanity and self-defense at trial.

Joseph Hubbard, 32, was charged in December in Linn County District Court with second-degree murder, second-degree arson, third-degree burglary and assault causing bodily injury.

Hubbard remains in jail under $1 million bail and trial is set for May 1, but Assistant Linn County Attorney Jason Besler said Tuesday the trial date would likely be reset. Hubbard's public defender is in the process of finding a psychologist to conduct a mental evaluation.

David Grinde, Hubbard's lawyer, didn't provide any details in his notice of defense regarding Hubbard's mental issues.

A criminal complaint shows Hubbard was arrested after police were called to the 700 block of North Center Point Road for a 'naked man running at large”on Dec. 2, 2016. Police found Hubbard attempting to get into several vehicles before getting into a construction van.

The complaint shows Hiawatha officers made contact with Hubbard and said he 'appeared to be in an altered state of mind.” Hubbard then told officers he found his mother dead that morning.

Officers took him to a hospital for examination and he confessed that he killed his mother, Deborah Roman, by shoving a rotten apple down her throat. Police went to Roman's mobile home at 213 Sunset Lane and found her body inside.

During an autopsy, a state medical examiner found large chunks of apple in Roman's throat and ruled she died from asphyxiation, the complaint shows.

Hubbard, before police found him at the construction van, had forced his way into a storage shed of the nearby New Beginnings Church, took off his clothes and soaked them with gasoline, the complaint shows.

Hubbard is also charged with assaulting Steven Behrens before getting into the van. As a result, during Hubbard's bail hearing in December, a judge set a no-contact order against Hubbard for Behrens.

Kirk Findley, Roman's fiancé, previously told The Gazette that Roman owned the mobile home, but Hubbard had been living in it, alone, for a couple of months. Hubbard had moved back to the area from Florida after losing his job in Fort Lauderdale. Findley also said Hubbard was unemployed and had a drinking problem, which caused issues between him and his mother.

Roman went over to the mobile home two days before her death, Findley said. That day, Hubbard was verbally abusive toward his mother and raised his hand toward her, but never hit her, according to Findley.

The next night, Findley said when he came home he learned Hubbard had been 'harassing” Roman on the phone. She left Findley's Cedar Rapids home around 8 p.m. on Dec. 1 to go to the mobile home in Hiawatha. Findley said that was the last time he saw his fiancé.

If convicted on all charges, Hubbard faces up to 66 years in prison, with a mandatory 35 years to serve before being eligible for parole.

l Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com