Kevin Leroy Juzek, 51, was shot to death in his rural Merrill, Iowa, home on May 11, 2020. Deputies were dispatched after a 911 call reporting a domestic dispute at the residence he shared with his mother and his 81-year-old stepfather, Thomas Knapp, and were told a firearm had been discharged. Officers found Juzek inside the house with gunshot wounds; an autopsy by the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the cause of death as gunshots to the abdomen and upper torso.

Investigators say Knapp was taken into custody at the scene after exiting the home. The account alleges Knapp fired a 20-gauge shotgun through a bedroom door, striking Juzek, and then fired a second shot in a living room area that struck him in the chest. Knapp was initially charged with aggravated domestic assault while displaying or using a weapon; that charge was later upgraded to first-degree murder and he was being held in the Plymouth County Jail without bond.

Juzek was born June 11, 1968, in Sioux City and was a Le Mars High School graduate. Described as a family man of strong faith, he had worked for many years as a painter and had been employed at the Jolly Time Popcorn Factory. He is survived by his son, wife, mother, and siblings. If anyone knew Kevin or has information about the events that night, please come forward.