A Meskwaki man who is charged with killing his parents on the settlement near Tama will not face the death penalty. Twenty-five-year-old Gordon Lasley Junior is accused of murdering Gordon Lasley Senior and Kim Lasley with a machete on February 5th. He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Federal law allows the death penalty to be used in cases on tribal lands, if tribal leadership agrees. But the U.S. District Attorney’s office says tribal officials have elected to not have the death penalty apply in this case. If Lasley is found guilty, he would face life in prison.
A trial has been set for June 9th.