COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — In what Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber recalled as likely 'the only double homicide case I have tried in my 22 years,' Dequanta Zachary, 30, was convicted by a jury today on two counts of Murder in the First Degree, one count of Theft in the First Degree, and one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
- Murder in the First Degree carries a mandatory sentence in Iowa of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Theft in the First Degree carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and Felon in Possession carries a penalty of up to 5 years in prison. Zachary's sentencing is set for December 5, 2024.
- According to investigators, in April, police found Deonte Ivory, 36, dead along South 29th Street in Council Bluffs. Then, hours later, they found Michael Anderson, 25, dead outside the Western Historic Trails Center. Both men were from Omaha.
- Investigators say the three men knew one another, and a 'combination of cell phone records, social media and surveillance videos, witness statements, crime scene investigation,' interviews and DNA analysis led them to Zachary. A convincing case - the jury deliberated for only about an hour before returning their verdict.
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