In the quiet city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the life of a 40-year-old Black / African American man, Tarrence New, was brought to a tragic and violent end on the evening of November 12, 2017. His body was discovered on the front porch of a residence located at 1506 D Ave. NE, a neighborhood just blocks from Coe College. Police had been called to the scene at 9:44 p.m. following reports of a disturbance. Upon their arrival, they found New, who had been shot at least once. The State Medical Examiner's Office would later confirm that the gunshot wound was the cause of death, officially ruling it a homicide.
The investigation that followed uncovered a grim story of a planned robbery that had escalated to murder. It was revealed that a group of individuals had conspired to stage a "sting" to rob New. The plot involved multiple people and a web of motivations, including a drug debt owed by one of the participants to the man who would ultimately be identified as the shooter. The events of that night were pieced together through a complex investigation that led to the identification and arrest of several suspects.
The primary suspect who authorities believe pulled the trigger was Rayshaun Dion Friend, who was 29 years old at the time. He was subsequently arrested and faced serious charges, including first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and going armed with intent. Another man, Donald Harris, was also implicated and charged with first-degree murder and robbery. During his trial, Harris testified that Friend was the only one armed with a gun that night and was the one who shot and killed New. Harris claimed his own involvement stemmed from a $1,500 drug debt he owed to Friend and that he participated out of fear, insisting he never agreed to the robbery itself. A third suspect, 31-year-old James Johnson, was also charged with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery for his role in planning and carrying out the fatal robbery.
The legal proceedings brought a measure of resolution, though the path to justice was intricate. Donald Harris was ultimately found guilty of the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to five years in prison. Both Rayshaun Dion Friend and James Johnson reportedly negotiated plea deals for lesser charges, though the specifics of these agreements were not widely publicized. The investigation painted a detailed picture of a crime that was not a random act of violence, but a calculated plan that spiraled into a fatal encounter, cutting short the life of Tarrence New.
