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Thursday, December 29, 2016

Charges filed in murder-for-hire scheme against jail inmate previously charged in murder-for-hire scheme.

Muscatine County Attorney Alan R. Ostergren announced today, December 29, 2016, that charges have been filed against JUSTIN DEWITT, 36, of North Liberty, Iowa for three counts of attempt to commit murder. Each charge is a class "B" felony punishable by imprisonment for a term not to exceed 25 years.

The criminal complaints allege that DEWITT sought the murder of three individuals: an Iowa Department of Public Safety special agent, an adult male, and an adult female. The conduct occurred while DEWITT was an inmate in the Muscatine County Jail where he is being held on behalf of the Johnson County Sheriff. DEWITT is being held on four counts of attempt to commit murder and four counts of solicitation to commit murder. His Johnson County charges were filed June 27, 2016. The criminal complaints in that case allege that DEWITT sought the murder of two adults and two children.

DEWITT was seen by a judge for an initial appearance this morning. Bond was set at $750,000. The court scheduled a preliminary hearing for January 9, 2017, at 9:00 a.m. He remains in the Muscatine County Jail where he has been placed in administrative segregation.

The charges against DEWITT are merely accusations. He is presumed to be innocent.

The most recent charges against DEWITT were the result of an investigation by the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Investigation and Division of Narcotics Enforcement.

DEWITT's mugshot: