On a summer evening in Des Moines, Iowa, what should have been a celebratory time turned into a tragedy. James Patton, a 41-year-old Black or African American man, was on his way to his mother's 68th birthday party on July 21, 2016. At approximately 6:00 p.m., in the parking lot behind a convenience store in the 1400 block of East Ovid Avenue, Patton was shot multiple times.
Despite the arrival of police and rescue personnel, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The investigation into Patton's death quickly focused on a suspect, Steven Asbury, who was 28 years old at the time. It was discovered that Patton had been dating Asbury's ex-girlfriend. This connection established a motive for the deadly shooting. Authorities learned that the conflict between the two men had escalated in the days leading up to the murder. Asbury had reportedly sent threatening text messages, including one in which he asked his ex-girlfriend if she wanted him to shoot Patton. The vehicle seen fleeing the scene of the crime, a maroon Ford F-150 pickup truck, matched the description of Asbury's vehicle.
Following the shooting, Asbury fled the state in an attempt to evade capture. However, his time on the run was short-lived. Twelve days after James Patton's death, Steven Asbury, who also went by the name Kidd Wayne, was located and arrested in Wichita, Kansas. He was extradited back to Iowa to face charges for the murder.
In the subsequent legal proceedings, a Polk County judge sentenced Steven Asbury to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Evidence presented during the trial included the threatening text messages, witness testimony, and ballistics evidence that connected shell casings found in Asbury's truck to those at the crime scene. The motive, stemming from the romantic rivalry, was a key element in the prosecution's case. The swift investigation and the successful conviction of Asbury brought a measure of justice for the senseless killing of James Patton, a man described by his family as a talented artist and a self-taught auto body repair specialist who enjoyed spending time with his loved ones.
