In the early morning hours of February 7, 2023, the life of 31-year-old Lonnie Edward Burns, a Black male from Dubuque, Iowa, was tragically cut short. Just before 1:00 a.m., police responded to reports of gunfire in the 700 block of Rhomberg Avenue. There, they discovered Lonnie Burns unresponsive on the ground, suffering from several gunshot wounds.
Emergency medical services transported him to a local hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
The investigation that followed revealed that the shooting was not a random act of violence. Instead, it was the result of a planned robbery gone horribly wrong. A group of individuals had targeted Burns, believing he had drugs and money at his residence. During the course of this robbery, a disturbance broke out in the yard next to a home on Rhomberg Avenue, which escalated to the fatal shooting. Investigators pieced together evidence, including traffic camera footage, to identify those involved in the incident.
Within weeks and months of the shooting, a total of five individuals were apprehended and faced charges in connection with Lonnie Burns' death. The first arrest was of 24-year-old Aaron C. Johnson of Chicago, IL, who was charged with first-degree murder. He was later identified as the one who fired the fatal shots. Three more arrests followed in May 2023: 30-year-old Jermaine D. Bolds, 18-year-old Laniga G. Hannon, both of Dubuque, and 16-year-old Tiarha D. Godwin of Maquoketa, IA. They were all charged with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery. The final suspect, 28-year-old Terry J. Valrie of Dubuque, was apprehended later that same month. Another man, Kenneth Reed, was also charged in connection with the robbery.
The legal process saw several of those involved entering into plea agreements. Kenneth Reed pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Terry Valrie, who was initially charged with first-degree murder, had that charge dismissed as part of a plea deal and was sentenced to up to 25 years for first-degree robbery. Aaron Johnson was convicted of first-degree murder and first-degree robbery, receiving a life sentence. The convictions and sentencings brought a measure of closure to the legal chapter of a violent encounter that ended the life of Lonnie Edward Burns.
