Lang
12/22/19
A Coralville man has entered a not guilty plea to charges that he shot and killed a woman outside of a Kossuth County bank.
35-year-old Valentino Williams, who has a lengthy criminal history in Johnson County, entered the plea on Wednesday. A pretrial conference is set for January 28th, with his trial scheduled to start on February 11th.
Williams was detained on December 4th, hours after the robbery and shooting at the Security State Bank in Lu Verne. A witness says a female employee, identified as 43-year-old Jessica Weishaar of Algona, was walking into the bank when she was shot and killed.
Police say Williams drove away in a black SUV, which was stopped by investigators on Interstate 35 a short time later.
Williams, who lists his address as Hope House on Holiday Road, is charged with 1st Degree Murder and 1st Degree Robbery. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
State records show that Williams was paroled in February for robbery and burglary convictions in 2010, and he was set to remain under state supervision until 2023.
Williams was convicted on multiple robbery charges after 2009 armed robberies at the former Tobacco Outlet on Broadway Street, The Can Shed on Hollywood Boulevard and Check Into Cash on Highway 6 in Coralville. In each case Williams was brandishing a gun.
