North Liberty man found competent to stand trial in murder-for-hire case

IOWA CITY - A North Liberty man accused of plotting to kill his former business associate and the man's family last year, is competent to stand trial, a mental health evaluation shows.

Sixth Judicial District Judge Lars Anderson said during a hearing Monday in Johnson County District Court that a competency evaluation shows Justin DeWitt, 36, charged with four counts of attempted murder and four counts of solicitation to commit murder, is competent to stand trial.

Court proceedings in the case were suspended on June 30 pending the results of the evaluation, which was conducted by Dr. M. Jerome Fialkov, a Des Moines area forensic psychiatrist.

Details of the evaluation are under seal in court records.   

Authorities said DeWitt, a landscaper, met with a person he thought was a hit man, who actually was an undercover officer, on June 27, 2016. He gave the man a $1,000 down payment. DeWitt then signed a contract to have associate Chad Williams and his family killed for $8,000, police said.

The sting was set up after police received a tip from Ronald Robi, an ex-convict who had hired DeWitt as a landscaper, court documents show.

Robi told The Gazette last year that DeWitt learned about Robi's criminal past and asked him if he had ever killed anyone or knew anyone who would kill someone for him. Robi said he recorded the conversation he and DeWitt had about the murder-for-hire plot and turned it over to police.

During Monday's hearing, Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness requested that DeWitt be evaluated at the Iowa Medical Classification Center in Coralville based on DeWitt's defense of claiming insanity and/or diminished capacity.

Mike Lahammer, DeWitt's lawyer, said he expected the state to ask for the independent evaluation.

Anderson said he would order the evaluation.  

After the hearing, Lyness said a case management conference is set for Dec. 15 and at that time a trial date is likely to be set if the evaluation at the Coralville prison has been completed.

DeWitt also faces charges in Muscatine County District Court.

While awaiting trial in this case, DeWitt, while in the Muscatine County Jail, attempted to have a Department of Public Safety agent and a North Liberty couple killed in December 2016, court documents show.

A criminal complaint shows DeWitt met with an undercover state agent, who he thought was an associate of a hit man, on Dec. 17 and 19 at the jail. During the meetings, DeWitt agreed to pay $25,000 to have the three killed. He also agreed to make a $500 down payment.

DeWitt has been charged with three counts of attempt to commit murder. He remains in the Muscatine County Jail on $750,000 bail.

A trial on those charges hasn't been set. A status review hearing is scheduled for Oct. 13 in Muscatine County District Court.

DeWitt faces 25 years in prison on each of the attempted murder charges and 10 years on each of the solicitation to commit murder charges.

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