Inset: Ashley M. Ruhland (Plymouth County Jail). Background: A rural stretch of land where a man was killed in Plymouth County, Iowa (Google Maps).
An Iowa woman is behind bars after shooting and killing a man in a remote area, Hawkeye State law enforcement says.
Ashley M. Ruhland, 35, stands accused of one count of first-degree murder over the death of 49-year-old Justin F. Emmick, according to the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, July 29, on a stretch of rural acreage somewhere along the 31000 block of County Road K-18S in Plymouth County – roughly 30 miles northeast of Sioux City.
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On the day in question, a lone deputy arrived sometime after 3 p.m. in response to a 911 call, the sheriff’s office said in a press release.
“When the first deputy arrived on scene he was directed by the caller on where the victim was located which was in a remote area of the acreage,” the release reads. “Life saving measures were initiated however were unsuccessful and the victim was later pronounced deceased at the scene by the Plymouth County Medical Examiner.”
Ruhland herself was the 911 caller, the sheriff’s office said.
During the emergency call, the defendant told the dispatcher the shooting was in self-defense, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Sioux City-based ABC affiliate KCAU.
Law enforcement said Ruhland made statements “akin to ‘it’s got to be now, or it’s going to be me,’ ‘it was either him or me,’ and ‘I didn’t want him to suffer,'” according to the charging document.
Investigators, however, said the victim was shot from behind, and that the defendant was not harmed.
“During the investigation, there was no evidence indicating [Ruhland] was in danger from [Emmick],” the complaint reads. “The bullet wounds show [Emmick] was shot from behind while [Ruhland] was uninjured.”
Ruhland previously told family members she wanted a gun for protection and that Emmick was going to teach her how to shoot, according to the charging document.
The complaint also notes that Ruhland had a protection order out against the victim, according to the sheriff’s office.
At the time of the shooting, the woman was living with the victim on his rugged and wooded 30-acre property, which is only accessible by all-terrain vehicles, law enforcement said.
When the violence occurred, Ruhland and Emmick were on a corner of the property shooting at targets, according to the complaint. At some point, however, the woman allegedly shot the man twice – once in the back and once in the head, the sheriff’s office said.
The defendant is being detained without bond in the Plymouth County Jail. She is slated to appear in court on Aug. 10.
The post ‘Didn’t want him to suffer’: Woman brought man to remote area for target shooting then put 2 bullets in him while his back was turned, police say first appeared on Law & Crime.
