On a summer night in Muscatine, Iowa, the life of 25-year-old Charles William "Binx" Netherland, a Caucasian male, came to a tragic and debated end. On August 18, 2012, Charles was at the home of his cousin, Robert Ross, located at 314 Clinton Street, spending the evening with friends. The gathering was filled with the sounds of karaoke and conversation as the group drank and socialized.
At some point during the evening, Charles and a friend, Hank Smith, were asked to take their loud conversation upstairs.
What happened next in that upstairs room is a matter of conflicting accounts and enduring questions. According to Hank Smith, Charles was distraught over a recent domestic dispute. Smith stated that he went downstairs to the kitchen to make a couple of drinks. When he returned, he claimed he found Charles holding a. 45 mm semi-automatic pistol to his own head. Smith reported that Charles said something to the effect of being ready to go before pushing Smith onto the bed and pulling the trigger. The firearm belonged to Robert Ross, the cousin whose house they were in.
Despite the initial police ruling of the death as a suicide, Charles Netherland’s family and friends have vehemently disputed this conclusion from the beginning. They point to the fact that he was heavily intoxicated, with a blood alcohol level nearly four times the legal limit, making it highly improbable that he could have shot himself. Adding to their suspicion is a witness account of hearing Robert Ross yell at Hank Smith, "Why did you shoot him?" in the immediate aftermath of the gunshot.
In the years following his death, no arrests have been made, and no official suspects have been named in the case. The official cause of death remains a point of contention for his loved ones. His mother, Peggy, has been a vocal advocate for justice, creating a Facebook page to keep his case in the public eye. Two months after his death, a friend organized a protest outside the Muscatine Police Department, urging them to investigate the case more thoroughly. The community remains divided, and for the family of Charles Netherland, the quest for answers and what they believe to be justice continues.
