Bethany Castro, a 25-year-old Hispanic/Latina woman from Des Moines, was fatally shot during a violent confrontation in Pleasant Hill in the early morning hours of July 23, 2020; she remained alive for several hours and died at a hospital on the morning of July 24. The shooting took place near the 100 block of Christie Lane after Castro and her boyfriend, Phillip Bryant Koromah Jr., became stranded when the gear shifter in his vehicle broke during an argument.

Witnesses described a scuffle between Koromah and another man, and testimony said Koromah was seen striking Castro. Tow-truck operators reported hearing gunfire and seeing Koromah with his arm extended as if aiming; Castro collapsed and later died from a gunshot wound to the head. Koromah fled in a vehicle, ran over a woman’s foot, and was pursued by police; he discarded a handgun and drugs during the chase. Investigators recovered the gun and a firearms expert tied it to the fatal shooting.

Prosecutors charged Koromah with first-degree murder after Castro’s death, plus robbery, firearm, drug and traffic offenses. At trial the jury convicted him of first-degree murder, finding he acted with malice, deliberation, premeditation and specific intent to kill; the Iowa Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction on April 26, 2023. Does anyone have information about Bethany’s last moments or the neighborhood that could help clarify what happened that night?