Death of Iowa City bail bondsman being treated as homicide

IOWA CITY - The death of a man found dead in an Iowa City bail bonds office - identified by friends as a local bail bondsman - is being treated as a homicide.

Iowa City police responded to Lederman Bail Bonds, 518 S. Capitol St., at 11:11 a.m. Sunday after a body was found inside. On Monday, police said the man - who they are not yet identifying - had 'multiple sources of trauma.”

'Based on the evidence thus far discovered at 518 South Capitol St., and the known circumstances surrounding the death of the subject, the department's Investigations Unit is treating this case as a homicide,” the police department said in a news release.

Police are continuing to pursue leads in the case.

While police said Monday the man's identity is being withheld pending official identification by the Johnson County Medical Examiner's Office, two of the man's close friends identified him on Monday as 34-year-old Jonathan J. Wieseler.

Brian Vakulskas, a Sioux City lawyer, said he learned about his friend's death on Sunday from one of Wieseler's relatives.

'It's just so surreal,” Vakulskas said of his friend's death.

Wieseler once lived at 518 S. Capitol St., according to court records.

Vakulskas said Wieseler grew up in Sioux City with his younger brother, Dan Vakulskas. Brian Vakulskas said he's known Wieseler since Wieseler was in middle school and the two men have remained close in adulthood.

Dan Vakulskas said he met Wieseler in seventh grade. The two men graduated from high school together and both got their undergraduate degrees at The University of Iowa. Dan Vakulskas later attended law school in Michigan and Wieseler attended the University of Iowa College of Law. Brian Vakulskas said Wieseler had 'zero interest” in practicing law, despite his aptitude for it. He took a job as a bail bondsman, instead.

'He was very successful in law school,” Brian Vakulskas said. 'He could read and analyze things and remember things, but had no interest in practicing law.”

A message left with Lederman Bail Bonds was not returned Monday. According to their website, Lederman Bail Bonds has offices throughout the Midwest. Wieseler is listed as the agent for the Johnson County office.

Brian Vakulskas described Wieseler as a voracious reader who had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

'He was a guy that probably would have stayed in school his entire life if you would have let him,” he said. 'He was just an absolute book worm.”

Wieseler and Brian Vakulskas put together an idea to interview authors for a radio show. Wieseler would read the books and give Vakulskas questions for the authors, Vakulskas recalls.

'He would come up with some of the most interesting questions that would frequently cause the author to comment about how astute the question was,” he said.

Both men loved novels, crime fiction, sports biographies and history, Vakulskas said.

Brian Vakulskas said the two men attended Iowa football games together. They were usually the first in line at I-Club breakfasts and ate at Hungry Hobo every Friday before home games. Wieseler was quick, witty and kind, Vakulskas said.

'He was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word,” he said.

Wieseler was engaged to be married in June. This coming weekend was to be his bachelor party in Las Vegas, Vakulskas said. Dan Vakulskas was supposed to be in the wedding, but couldn't attend the bachelor party.

'I know Jon was really excited about that,” Dan Vakulskas said. 'He'd been planning it for many, many months. I know they were excited about going out there.”

Dan Vakulskas described Wieseler as 'one of, if not the nicest people I've ever known” and someone you could count on if you were in need. He said he's still coming to grips with his friend's sudden death.

'It's so unbelievably bizarre,” he said. 'To have someone taken this way is like something you see on TV. For something like this to happen to someone who wouldn't harm a fly - a truly innocent victim - it's hard to comprehend. It's hard to wrap your mind around it.”

Police are asking anyone who might have seen or heard anything from approximately 9 p.m. Saturday until Sunday morning to report it to police. Police said if the death is determined to be a criminal act, Iowa City Area CrimeStoppers will offer a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of a suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 358-TIPS.

l Comments: (319) 398-8238; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com