Coralville man identified as suspect in Lu Verne bank murder

LU VERNE — Authorities have identified a Coralville man as the suspect taken into custody after the murder of an Algona woman at the bank in Lu Verne.

The Kossuth County Sheriff’s Department says 35-year-old Valentino Williams has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery. Authorities were called to Security State Bank at about 8:40 Wednesday morning where they found a female had sustained a gunshot wound. 43-year-old Jessica Weishaar, an employee of the bank, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Law enforcement says they were able to identify a suspect and a vehicle from video surveillance and eyewitness statements, stopping a vehicle at the 158 mile marker of Interstate 35.

Williams is being held in the Kossuth County Jail pending an initial court appearance. If convicted of first-degree murder, Williams would face life in prison without the opportunity for parole.