Illinois man sentenced to life for murdering Monticello Fareway employee

An Illinois man who last year fatally shot a Fareway employee in Monticello pleaded Tuesday to first-degree murder as charged and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

  Buy Photo

Nathan Russell, 39, of East Dubuque, who planned to use intoxication as his defense at trial, pleaded guilty after 6th Judicial District Andrew Chappell denied his motion in April to move trial set for August out of Jones County because of pretrial publicity.

During the plea, Russell admitted to firing multiple shots at Aaron McAtee, 48, of Monticello, who was found about 7:29 a.m. Nov. 7, 2023, near a loading dock outside the grocery store at 420 N. Farley St.

McAtee had multiple injuries and died later at the hospital. Witnesses told police the shots fired at him came from a rifle pointed out the driver’s window of a black sedan with Illinois license plates, according to a criminal complaint.

Officers believed Russell was connected to the car because of interactions they’d had with him the night before. Monticello police put an alert out to nearby agencies to watch for the sedan and Russell.

Delaware County sheriff’s Deputy Matt Menard found him about 9:30 a.m. that day in Hopkinton, the complaint stated. The deputy attempted to arrest Russell, but Russell didn’t cooperate and Menard shot and injured him. Russell was taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for treatment and was charged the next day.

Menard was later found justified in the shooting of Russell.

Authorities discovered a rifle in Russell’s vehicle and multiple shell casings consistent with the gun having been shot from inside the car, according to court documents. The black vehicle also was seen on multiple security cameras in the area during the time before and immediately after the shooting.

During the investigation, Russell’s parents told police Russell stole a rifle and crossbow from their East Dubuque home on Nov. 3, 2023.

Judge Chappell accepted Russell’s plea and sentenced him to life after hearing victim impact statements from McAtee’s family members. Chappell also ordered Russell to pay $150,000 in victim restitution to McAtee’s heirs or estate, as required by Iowa law.

Jones County Attorney Kristofer Lyons, in a statement, said the case came together under the direction of lead investigator Special Agent Dustin Henningsen of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, who worked with Monticello Police Chief Britt Smith and the department. The Jones County Sheriff’s Office and Anamosa Police Department also assisted in the case.

“It is the sincere hope of the Jones County Attorney’s Office that this conviction and sentence can aid in the healing of the entire McAtee family, but especially of Kelly (Aaron’s wife) and her sons,” Lyons said.

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