Cedar Rapids woman tells of domestic abuse before her sister’s slaying

Domestic violence had been a part of Katrina Brinson and Arnell States' marriage long before police found Brinson fatally stabbed last Saturday morning at a motel in southwest Cedar Rapids.

'He (States) turned into a completely different person after they got married,” said Jaslyne Brinson, 32, of Cedar Rapids, Brinson's younger sister.

'He became controlling, and he would get violent with her in front of the kids,” she said. 'My sister wanted to leave, but she felt trapped.”

Katrina Brinson, 34, of Cedar Rapids, and a friend - a 34-year-old woman who police have not identified - were found just before 2 a.m. Saturday in a room at the Rodeway Inn. Both women had been stabbed, police said.

Brinson later died at a hospital. Her friend was treated and released.

Cedar Rapids police responded and pursued States, 39, who was shot by an officer during an encounter. He died Tuesday at a hospital.

Police had been at the home Brinson and States shared - 1531 Washington Ave. SE - at 5 a.m. the day before and arrested both of them on domestic abuse charges when they couldn't determine who was the aggressor. The two were booked into the Linn County Jail for around 4 hours and released after the Linn County Attorney's Office declined to file charges.

When abuse started

Jaslyne Brinson said when she learned her sister had been killed and that police had a suspect, she knew the suspect was States.

'He had threatened to kill her so many times,” he said. 'He told her if she left him he would kill her, and he would kill the kids.”

Katrina Brinson and States started dating about 10 years ago, Jaslyne Brinson said.

'At first we all liked him,” she said. 'He got along well with the family, and we thought he was a good guy. They seemed like the perfect couple.”

Brinson had three children, and after she and States were together, they had three more. The children range in age from 3 to 14. The couple married in 2018.

It wasn't until about two months into the marriage that Brinson's family learned of the abuse, Jaslyne Brinson said.

'That was when she told us what was going on,” she said. 'She wanted a divorce, but she didn't want to leave her house. It's her house, and she wanted to stay there. She wanted him to leave, but he wouldn't go.”

Afraid to go home

The morning before Katrina Brinson was killed, Jaslyne Brinson said her sister and States had gotten into a violent argument after she told him she was going to leave him.

'He had been out all night, and he came home at like 5 a.m. and they got into it,” she said. Neighbors heard the fighting and called the police.

After Brinson and States were arrested and then released from jail, Jaslyne Brinson said her sister didn't want to go home.

'She was scared to go home because he was there, and she didn't want to be around him,” she said.

Instead, Katrina Brinson went to the motel where she was stabbed the next morning.

‘Couldn't breathe'

'I couldn't breathe,” Jaslyne Brinson said of the moment she learned her sister had been killed.

'I mean, I just didn't know what to do,” she said. 'I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk, I couldn't think. I was so hurt. She had just left me, and now she's gone.”

Jaslyne Brinson said her sister was a good person with a good heart and a good soul who didn't deserve what happened to her.

'Everyone loved (Katrina),” she said. 'She was a good person with a lot of friends. She cared about people and was there for them, and she didn't get involved in drama. And now she's gone and her kids don't have a mother. It hurts.”

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