In the early hours of a cold February morning in Ryan, Iowa, the life of 27-year-old DeVon Hierrezuelo, a Black/African American male from Oak Lawn, Illinois, was tragically cut short. On February 8, 2021, at approximately 1 a.m., Hierrezuelo was shot and killed. The incident occurred in a residence in the small Delaware County town, shattering the quiet of the rural community.
The person responsible for his death was his girlfriend, Danielle Weiner, who was 33 years old at the time of
the shooting. Following the incident, Weiner was taken into custody by law enforcement and subsequently charged with first-degree murder. The case then proceeded through the Iowa court system, moving to the Dubuque County Courthouse due to a change of venue motion granted because of pre-trial publicity.
During her trial, Weiner took the stand as the sole witness for the defense, claiming that she had acted in self-defense during a physical altercation with Hierrezuelo. Despite her plea of not guilty and her claims of self-defense, the jury ultimately found her responsible for his death. However, they did not convict her of the initial charge of first-degree murder.
Instead, the jury convicted Danielle Weiner of the lesser-included charge of second-degree murder. Following her conviction, she was sentenced to a term of 50 years in prison. This sentence brought a legal conclusion to the case, though the narrative of domestic violence and its tragic consequences left a lasting impact on those who knew DeVon Hierrezuelo.
