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‘Something inside of me died,’ mother says during sentencing of her son’s killer
Judge gives Luke Truesdell, who bludgeoned 4 people in 2024, consecutive life sentences
Feb. 27, 2026 6:47 pm, Updated: Feb. 27, 2026 7:36 pm
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CEDAR RAPIDS — The mother of one of the four people bludgeoned with a metal pipe by Luke Truesdell in June 2024 said “no words can fully capture what it means to lose a child.”
“Something inside of me died that day,” Cheryl Brown said Friday during the sentencing of Truesdell in Linn County District Court.
A Linn County jury in November found Truesdell, 35, of Marion, guilt of bludgeoning four people to death in June 2024 in an outbuilding north of Marion.
The jury returned three first-degree murder convictions in the deaths of Brent Brown, 34, his girlfriend Keonna Ryan, 26, both of Cedar Rapids, and Amanda Parker, 33, of Vinton. A second-degree murder conviction was returned in the death of Parker’s boyfriend, Romondus Cooper, 44, of Cedar Rapids.
A district judge on Friday sentenced Truesdell to three life sentences, without the possibility of parole, on the first-degree murder charges, and another 50 years on the second-degree murder charge, to be run consecutively, as recommended by the prosecution.
During Truesdell’s trial, a prosecutor called what happened June 5, 2024, a “mass murder in Marion.”
‘It’s unbearable’
During the victim impact statement portion of the sentencing hearing, Brown said the murder of her son Brent Brown had caused irreversible damage to their family.
Her life, she said, has been divided in two parts — before her son was killed and after. Her son’s slaying has made getting out of bed impossible. She no longer wants to be around people who are happy — it causes her too much pain. She pulls away and would rather be alone.
Cheryl Brown said her son was a “rare human being,” with a great capacity for love and friendship. He was a “giver.“
His death is beyond a nightmare,” she said. “It’s unbearable.”
The last memories she has of her son is him lying in a hospital bed, fighting for his life. She recalled holding his hand and tears running down his cheek — something she will never forget.
Brent Brown’s daughter, Lexi Brown, in a victim impact statement read by Cheryl Brown, said she is having difficulty dealing with her father’s death. She is overwhelmed by grief and some days it’s difficult for her to get out of bed.
She said she can’t stop thinking about the pain her father must have felt during the fatal attack and how long it took him to die. She can’t imagine the suffering he and the others went through.
Cheryl Brown said that Brent's son wanted her to tell Truesdell he forgave him.
‘Baby sister, best friend’
Sarah Parker, sister of Amanda Parker, 33, of Vinton, said her sister may just be a name on a case file but she also was my “baby sister and best friend,” the person she taught to tie her shoes, to roller skate and to use makeup.
Sarah said she can’t imagine living without Amanda, whose nickname was “Angel.” They would text or talk every day. She “hated” the days she didn’t hear from her.
The last day she saw Amanda was Mother’s Day 2024, and she received her last selfie from her sister in June. The text that came with it said she loved Sarah and Sarah’s children.
Amanda’s death “devastated the entire family,” Sarah said. She finds herself starting to text her sister before remembering Amanda is no longer around.
“She brought joy, sunshine and humor,” Sarah said. “Amanda was always making someone laugh.”
Keonna was ‘bridge’
Keira Lagos, the sister of Keonna Ryan, 26, of Cedar Rapids, said in her victim statement that Keonna “loved unconditionally and had a soft spot of animals.”
Her death, she said, shattered her family because Keonna was the “bridge” in the family. When they’d suffered losses, Keonna always helped them get through them.
Keonna, she said, was also her “best friend.”
Life sentences
Sixth Judicial District Judge Liz Dupuich ran Truesdell’s three life sentences without the possibility of parole and the 50-year sentence for second-degree murder consecutively.
Dupuich said she agreed with First Assistant Linn County Attorney Monica Slaughter that consecutive sentences were appropriate because there were four separate victims.
Slaughter, in asking for the consecutive sentences, said each victim — who she identified individually — deserved that outcome.
“They lost their lives in the most violent and brutal killing I have ever seen in my career,” Slaughter said.
The life prison sentences and 50-year sentence are mandatory sentences under Iowa law. A judge only had discretion on whether to run them consecutively.
Truesdell, during sentencing, declined to make a statement.
Dupuich also ordered Truesdell to pay $150,000 to each victim’s heirs or estate, as required by state law.
Fatal assault
The four victims were found June 5, 2024, in an outbuilding at 3699 Otter Rd., north of Marion. The property is owned by Brent Brown’s father, Lon Brown. Both couples were living on the property at the time.
A state medical examiner said during Truesdell trial that all four victims died as a result of blunt force injuries to the head. Each of them had “high velocity” injuries.
Dr. Rory Deol, associate state medical examiner, said each victim received at least two or more blows, which caused death.
He also said some of the injuries were embedded with a “black material,” which could have been the black coating on a 42-inch metal pipe investigators said was the murder weapon.
According to toxicology reports, Parker tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamines; Cooper tested positive for meth; Brown tested positive for meth; and Ryan tested positive for meth and amphetamines. Deol said the drugs did not contribute to their deaths.
Deol also said some of the injuries were embedded with a “black material,” which could have been the black coating on a 42-inch metal pipe investigators said was the murder weapon.
Following the verdict in November, Assistant Linn County Attorneys Slaughter and Jordan Schier speculated that when the jurors considered the evidence, they didn’t think there was enough to determine premeditation in the killing of Cooper, who may have been the first one killed.
The jurors could have believed the others were killed because they could have identified the killer.
According to Iowa law, second-degree murder doesn’t require premeditation, only a specific intent to kill.
What happened
Slaughter, during her closing argument at Truesdell’s trial, said the four victims were “executed” and died from blunt force injuries, aberrated lacerations and skull fractures, which are “high velocity” injuries, the kind someone suffers in a vehicle crash.
Brent Brown and Ryan were out in the yard planting flowers and Cooper and Parker arrived later on a motorcycle after Cooper had picked up Parker from work,
A video showed Cooper and Parker going toward the outbuilding and Truesdell following, as his father, Larry Truesdell, went to remove a motor from an old boat that Lon Brown had told Larry he could take.
Slaughter pointed out that it was a windy day, but the audio in the surveillance video picked up Parker’s scream, which Brent Brown and Ryan heard. They stopped what they were doing and went toward the building to check it out. As they got to the building, Luke Truesdell was coming out but did an “about face” and followed them inside. The four never exited the building.
Luke Truesdell told law enforcement he went in the outbuilding and saw a body lying on the floor and walked out, but then admitted he “hit them,” confirming each of them when asked.
Slaughter said Luke Truesdell also told law enforcement he used a metal “bar” and then told investigators where to find it in the large outbuilding that was packed with items and equipment.
The DNA found on the metal pipe belonged to Cooper, Ryan and a mixture of two others thought no DNA profile could be determined. The other profile belonged to Luke Truesdell, Slaughter said.
Ryan’s hair also was found on the bloody side of the pipe and Luke Truesdell’s DNA was found on the non-bloody end, where someone would hold the pipe to “swing” it.
Trish Mehaffey covers state and federal courts for The Gazette
Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com
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