Marshal Aaron Terrell Johnson, a 23-year-old Black man from Des Moines, Iowa, was remembered for his "big and beautifully handsome smile." Born in Waterloo, he was adopted at age five into a large, loving family and grew up in Urbandale, where he developed a passion for reading, art, and cooking. A gifted athlete, he played football and ran track at Urbandale High School, graduating in 2014. He attended Central College for a semester and played on the football and track teams, but later left and faced struggles with the law and homelessness.
In the summer of 2019, Johnson’s life was brutally ended. Sometime after July 26, he was at a homeless camp in a wooded area near downtown Des Moines when he got into a dispute with two other men. The argument escalated into a horrific attack. One man, Bryan Norris, shot Johnson in the head, while the other, Yancy Freland, shot him in the torso.
Norris then cut Johnson's neck with a sharp object.
Johnson’s remains were not found for months. On October 8, 2019, police received a tip that led them to a wooded area behind an abandoned industrial plant south of Southwest 16th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. Investigators discovered Johnson’s body, which they said had been “cleverly concealed.” The perpetrators had wrapped his body in plastic, buried it, attempted to burn it over several days, and then reburied it. Police described it as one of the most complex and horrific crime scenes they had investigated, and an extensive forensic examination was required to identify the remains as Marshal Johnson.
The investigation led police to two suspects who lived in the homeless camp: Yancy Freland, 46, and Bryan Norris, 26. Both men were already in custody on unrelated matters when they were charged with first-degree murder for Johnson’s death. According to court filings, the men decided to kill Johnson because he had allegedly been causing problems at the camp.
In the spring of 2021, both men accepted plea deals. In April, Freland pleaded guilty to attempted murder, voluntary manslaughter, conspiracy, and abuse of a corpse. The following month, Norris pleaded guilty to the same charges. In his plea, Norris admitted to shooting Johnson in the head and cutting his throat, while Freland admitted to firing a shotgun at him.
On June 15, 2021, both men were sentenced for their roles in the murder. Bryan Norris received a 70-year prison sentence, and Yancy Freland received a 60-year sentence. The case was officially closed as of June 2021.
