In the spring of 2014, concerns grew for 49-year-old Vallerie Vee Cory, a White female from Cambridge, Iowa, when she uncharacteristically missed work. On April 14, a worried caller prompted Huxley police to conduct a welfare check at the home she shared with her 44-year-old husband, Jeremy Cory. The caller reported that Vallerie hadn't been seen for several days and that her husband had allegedly been threatening her with a loaded gun.
When officers arrived at the residence, they
discovered Vallerie's body in an upstairs bedroom. An investigation determined she had been deceased since at least Friday, April 11. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide. Investigators found no signs of a struggle within the home. When questioned about what had transpired, Jeremy Cory reportedly told police, "It didn't work out."
Jeremy Cory was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with his wife's death. He was held in the Story County Jail on a one-million-dollar cash-only bond. During his trial, his defense team did not pursue an intoxication defense, despite his history of alcohol abuse. In July 2014, a jury found Jeremy Cory guilty of first-degree murder for the shooting death of his wife. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Jeremy Cory later appealed his conviction twice, arguing ineffective legal counsel, and also contested the amount of restitution he was ordered to pay his wife's estate. Both appeals were unsuccessful. In November 2024, at the age of 55, Jeremy Cory died while in custody at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics; the cause of his death was not publicly released.
