Linn County jury convicts Cedar Rapids man for trying to kill ex with knife, claw hammer

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Linn County jury convicted a Cedar Rapids man Thursday for trying to kill his ex-girlfriend by stabbing her multiple times and striking her with a claw hammer.

Jimmy Prophete, 41, was found guilty following a three-day trial of attempted murder, willful injury resulting in serious injury and domestic abuse assault. The jury deliberated about four hours.

  Buy Photo

He was acquitted on one of the charges, going armed with intent. Prophete faces up to 25 years for attempted murder and must serve a mandatory 17 years before being eligible for parole.

“We’re glad the jury was able to see through the defendant’s story about self-inflicted stab wounds and concluded the truth was that the defendant tried to kill his ex-girlfriend,” Assistant Linn County Attorney Molly Edwards told The Gazette after the verdict.

Prophete, during trial, claimed Charles stabbed herself twice in the head and also told police that during an interview.

According to court documents, Jasmine Charles told police she agreed to meet her ex-boyfriend, Prophete, on April 12, 2023, outside her southwest Cedar Rapids apartment, to receive money from him.

Charles had a no contact order against him at the time for a domestic abuse incident that previously happened in March 2023. In that incident, he is accused of trying to cut her with a piece of glass.

Charles told police she had ignored Prophete’s text messages but answered a phone call from him, according to court documents. She walked outside but didn’t see him and was scared, so she started running and then noticed Prophete was chasing her. She ran through her complex to the back of the building outside and Prophete caught her and took her to the ground.

He then pulled out a kitchen knife from his jacket and started stabbing her, according to court documents. She got the knife from him but then he pulled out a hammer and started striking her in the head with the claw side.

According to trial testimony, a neighbor awoke to hearing Charles’ screams for help. He went outside and saw a man on top of a woman swinging at her with what he thought was an ax. He yelled at the man to stop and also called 911.

The neighbor also gave her a towel to try to stop the bleeding from her numerous wounds and he stayed with her until police arrived.

She testified that the defendant attacked her with a knife, stabbing her, and used a hammer to hit her twice in her head. Charles showed the jury the scars on her face, neck and arms.

When officers arrived, they found a knife and hammer left at the scene that were covered in blood, according to court documents.

Later that day, Cedar Rapids investigators learned that Prophete went to work in Marshalltown, court documents stated.

Prophete had already left the scene when police arrived, but was arrested with the help of the Marshalltown Police Department after an investigation.

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