Update: On Tuesday a preliminary hearing was set for 11 a.m. on March 2.
Beth Guzman, 44, of Dow City, is being held on the charge 1st degree murder, a Class A felony, after a fatal confrontation with her live-in boyfriend on Sunday.
The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office said that at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Sunday they received an anonymous call from a concerned citizen about the welfare of a friend.
When deputies arrived at the friend’s address, 504 East Fulton in Dow City, they discovered a male subject, later identified as Jeremy Dave Frank, 46, unresponsive and bleeding.
Frank was found inside a vehicle at the residence, according to Special Agent in Charge Darrell Simmons with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
The Dow City Ambulance and EMS were notified, and Frank was transported to Crawford County Memorial Hospital in Denison where he was pronounced deceased.
Frank died of a single gunshot wound.
The criminal complaint, filed Monday in district court in Crawford County, says that Frank was shot once in the upper torso. During Guzman’s interview with law enforcement, she admitted to shooting a handgun numerous times at Frank, hitting him at least once.
An autopsy is pending at the Iowa State Medical Examiner's office in Ankeny.
The criminal complaint lays out incidents that led to the shooting.
Guzman said that Frank and she had gotten into an altercation sometime around 5:30 p.m. Sunday at his place of employment in Denison.
She went home, and she armed herself with a handgun and waited for Frank to arrive.
Based on additional interviews, it is believed that Frank arrived at the home he shared with Guzman in Dow City at approximately 8 p.m.
Guzman said that as soon as Frank entered the house, he began yelling, and when he reached the bedroom, she started shooting at him. She followed Frank and continued to shoot at him while he tried to exit the home.
Frank was able to make it to his vehicle and drive a short distance away from the residence before succumbing to his injuries.
Guzman gave an account of where she hid the handgun and shell casings after the shooting took place.
She also admitted to altering the crime scene in an attempt to conceal it.
The investigation is being conducted by the Crawford County Sheriff's Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations and the Crawford County Attorney's Office, and assisted by the Denison Police Department, Dow City EMS, and Crawford County Memorial Hospital Ambulance Service.
