Jury acquits three brothers on all charges in younger brother’s death

CEDAR RAPIDS — Three brothers accused of unintentionally causing the death of their 18-year-old brother, who they tied down to a mattress for about 40 hours because his behavior was erratic and he had threatened them, were each acquitted of three charges Friday.

The Linn County jury, after deliberating just over seven hours, found Christian, 30, Pierre, 27, and Azane, 24, Baseme, of Cedar Rapids, not guilty of involuntary manslaughter, assault causing serious injury and false imprisonment.

After the jury left the courtroom, the brothers were shaking hands and smiling with their lawyers.

No family members were in courtroom for the verdict.

“I just want to thank the jury for their service,” Doug Davis, lawyer for Christian Baseme, said after the verdict came in before 4:30 p.m.

Trial testimony

During the trial, a Cedar Rapids police investigator who put together a timeline of what happened between Nov. 2 through 6, 2024, said the three brothers tied down their younger brother, Ezekiel Baseme, 18, to a mattress with ropes and straps for about 40 hours for more than three days without water or food.

The brothers testified that Ezekiel’s behavior had been erratic and escalated the first week of November and he was seeing snakes breathing fire and threatening to hurt himself and others.

During the trial, the video-recorded police interview with Christian was played for the jury. In the interview, he said Ezekiel was fighting with him and threatened to kill himself and also kill Christian and other family members. He seemed “possessed.” They tied down Ezekiel to protect him, Christian said.

While he was tied up, Ezekiel wanted something to drink or eat, which Pierre offered. But Christian said he thought it was a “ruse” by Ezekiel to get loose and run away, so Christian didn’t give him anything.

Their father, Joseph Baseme Mbalama, who testified during the trial, said he believed Ezekiel was “possessed by demons” and they made a family decision to tie down the teen.

Mbalama testified Ezekiel said spiritual things — things like those possessed by demons — Nov. 2 through Nov. 4 or Nov. 5 before he died. He was seeing snakes, fire, cats, waters and cities that weren’t there. When Mbalama would put his hands on Ezekiel and pray for him, Ezekiel would calm down, he said.

When he saw Ezekiel about 5 p.m. Nov. 4, Ezekiel was saying “different words” but had less strength and couldn’t run away, Mbalama said. Some of the ropes had been removed. They prayed for him, and he was talking when Mbalama left about 11 p.m.

The father said Ezekiel had some juice and water when he was there, but he didn’t see him eat. He didn’t know if his other sons gave Ezekiel anything to eat.

Christian contacted him later, after 1 a.m. Nov. 5, saying Ezekiel wasn’t breathing. Mbalama said he was “confused” because the last time he had seen Ezekiel, he was “well.” He told his wife that their sons were saying Ezekiel was dead.

When Mbalama went to the brothers’ home about 3 a.m., Ezekiel was dead, but he believed some “part of him was functioning and he was warm.” They prayed, and he and his wife believed Ezekiel might “come back.”

On Nov. 6, he realized Ezekiel wasn’t coming back but prayed one more day before calling police. It wasn’t reported to police until Nov. 9.

An expert witness, testifying Thursday on behalf of the three brothers, disputed a state medical examiner’s cause-of-death finding — that Ezekiel had died from “complications of probable starvation and dehydration in a setting of physical restraint.”

Dr. Bradley Randall, a South Dakota forensic pathologist consultant, said he believed Ezekiel Baseme was exhibiting signs and symptoms of “manic delirium” in the days leading up to his death. Years ago, he said, the condition led to sudden death, but has dramatically dropped since the development and use of antipsychotic drugs.

Defense argues reasonable doubt

Doug Davis, in his closing, said Ezekiel’s behavior seemed consistent with Randall’s opinion of Ezekiel being in manic delirium.

Davis said the brothers’ father was the controlling factor in this incident. They consulted him on what to do. They had certain religious beliefs. Mbalama testified he thought Ezekiel was possessed by a demon and believed he could pray and bring him back to life.

The family didn’t delay calling police because they were trying to cover up the teen’s death, Davis said. They did it because they couldn’t accept Ezekiel’s death and thought praying a few days would bring him back.

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Jeremy Elges, the lawyer for Azane Baseme, argued in his closing that a trial is a test of the prosecution’s case and that jurors have to decide if they passed that test.

He told the jury the prosecution must rule out every reasonable doubt in order to prove their case. Any lack of evidence “counts” as reasonable doubt.

Trish Mehaffey covers state and federal courts for The Gazette

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