Iowa City Sueppel murders

The Iowa City Sueppel murders were a series of murders which occurred at the home of Steven and Sheryl Sueppel in Iowa City, Iowa, USA on Easter Sunday night, March 23, 2008. The next morning, the police were directed to the home by an anonymous 9-1-1 caller which was later confirmed to be Steven Sueppel. When they arrived there around 6:45 AM, they found Sheryl Sueppel and her four adopted children (Ethan, 10; Seth, 9; Mira, 5 and Eleanor, 3). Sheryl's husband and the children's adoptive father Steven is believed to have murdered his family using a baseball bat to bludgeon them.[1] Steven committed suicide by crashing into a concrete support on Interstate 80 shortly after placing the call to 9-1-1.

Background

Steven Sueppel was at the time charged with stealing $559,040 from Hills Bank and Trust Company of Hills, Iowa where he was a vice president, but had pleaded not guilty to embezzlement and money laundering on February 20, 2008.[2] He was out on bond at the time of the murders with a trial date set for April. In a four-page note written by Steven, he indicated that he and his family would be better off this way instead of enduring further pressures caused by the charges against him.

One remarkable aspect of this case is the community mourning for the loss, including relatives from all sides of the family. A combined funeral was held for both parents and their children; all were buried together and the theme was forgiveness. An in-depth description of the events leading up to and following the family murder-suicide case is found at Death by Domestic Homicide:Preventing the Murders and the Murder-Suicides (Van Wormer and Roberts, 2009), based primarily on "Forgiveness Frames Funeral for Family of 6", Cedar Falls Times, April 5, 2008.

Timeline of Murders

Sunday AM: The Sueppel family attends Easter Mass at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Iowa City. Steven's and Sheryl's parents are also at the Mass and later said they did not notice anything unusual about anyone's behavior.

Sunday 8 PM: A family friend stops at the Sueppels' home and visits with Steven. The friend saw one of the children but noted nothing unusual.

Sunday 11:30 PM: Steven Sueppel leaves a message for his father and brother at their law firm. In the message he states that his family is in heaven. It is believed that his wife had been killed by this point although the children were likely still alive.

Sunday 11:30 PM - Monday 3:45 AM: At some point, according to a letter Steven wrote, he allegedly gathers his four children into the family van which was parked in the garage and tries to kill the children and himself by carbon monoxide poisoning. When this doesn't work, Steven ushers the kids back into the house and bludgeoned them to death. The three oldest children were found in their bedrooms. Eleanor, the youngest was found downstairs in the toy room.

Monday 3:45 AM: Steven leaves a message at the office of his former employer, Hills Bank. Details of this message were not released.

Monday 3:50 AM: Steven leaves a message on his home answering machine expressing his regret.

Monday 4:01 AM: Steven leaves a second message on his home answering machine. In the message, he indicates that he tried to drown himself in the Iowa River at Lower City Park but he "kept floating"

Monday 6:31 AM: 9-1-1 dispatchers receive a call directing them to the home of Steven and Sheryl Sueppel and telling them to "go there immediately." The call came from a cellphone and the caller immediately disconnected without identifying himself.

9-1-1 Transcript:
Dispatch: This is 9-1-1. Location of your emergency? Hello?
Caller: Am I talking to Iowa City?
Dispatch: No this is... Where, what is the location of your emergency?
Caller: Iowa City, Iowa.
Dispatch: What's the address?
Caller: 629 Barrington Road. Please go there immediately.
Dispatch: What's going on there?
Caller hangs up.

Monday 6:36 AM: Sueppel dies in a fiery crash on Interstate 80, outside Iowa City. Witnesses indicate that the driver was driving at high speeds and seemed to have deliberately crashed into a concrete pillar.

References

  1. ↑ "Iowa man killed wife, 4 kids, then self". USAToday. 2008-03-24.
  2. ↑ "Ex-bank official pleads not guilty". Gazette. 2008-03-24.

van Wormer, K. and Roberts, A.(2009). Death by Domestic Homicide: Preventing the Murders and the Murder-Suicides. Westport, CT:Praeger.

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