Hunter
07/08/25
Trial begins today in the case of a former University of Iowa student who allegedly robbed and tried to strangle a woman on campus in April 2022.
22-year-old Ali Younes opted for a judge to decide his fate late last month, waiving his right to a jury trial.
Younes is accused of attacking a woman on the Iowa Memorial Union footbridge, allegedly strangling the woman into unconsciousness before taking her earrings, which were valued at $20,000.
Witnesses interrupted Younes, who claimed that the victim was walking and then passed out. He fled and was arrested at his girlfriend’s house the next day while in possession of the stolen earrings.
While awaiting trial in May of 2023, Younes allegedly cut off his ankle monitor and fled to Jordan. He voluntarily returned to the U.S. after UI Police and the U.S. Embassy in Jordan negotiated a voluntary surrender in August 2024. His parents have since been convicted for helping in his escape.
Younes faces up to sixty years in prison if convicted on Attempted Murder, 1st Degree Robbery and 1st Degree Theft charges. The trial is being live-streamed on YouTube on the Law&Crime Trials channel starting at 8am.