A former University of Iowa student has been convicted of attempted murder, robbery and theft following a 2022 attack near the school’s Arts Building West.
Ali Younes, 22, also pleaded guilty in a related case to one count of escape by a felon after he allegedly cut off his ankle monitor and fled to Jordan. Younes entered the guilty plea 14 minutes before sentencing in the attempted murder case.
Younes faces up to 65 years in prison on the four charges. He must serve a minimum of 17 and a half years in prison for attempted murder and a minimum of 35 years in prison for first-degree robbery, the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release. Sentencing is scheduled for February 27, 2026.
Younis went on trial in July in Johnson County District Court in Iowa, where he waived his right to a trial by a jury of his peers. Judge Kevin McKeever gave both sides several weeks to submit written closing arguments and deliberate privately since August before issuing a decision on Friday, December 5.
Eunice attacks woman walking home from get off work
Eunice, a UI freshman living in Burge Hall at the time, is accused of assaulting Anne Rizzo shortly after 10 p.m. on April 25, 2022. Rizzo testified that she was on her way home from get off work when the incident occurred. On the stand, she described herself as 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 110 pounds.
Younis passed Rizzo in the opposite direction, then turned and jogged to catch up with her, then tackled Rizzo to the ground from behind and strangled her until she lost consciousness, according to police and prosecutors.
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Two UI students noticed Younis on top of Rizzo and ran over to see what was going on. They were leaving the west side of the arts building where they were studying. Younes tried to explain his involvement, saying he would call police and then fled the scene, according to the state’s closing argument.
Johnson County Prosecutor Rachel Zimmerman Smith wrote in closing arguments that the students then called 911 and offered aid to Rizzo.
After his arrest, Younis allegedly admitted to police that he stole Rizzo’s earrings because he believed she was dead.
Prosecutors and defense paint very different pictures of Younis’ intentions
Younis’ defense attorney tried to argue that prosecutors did not prove Younis had any intent to kill Rizzo and relied on testimony from Katie Rasmussen, coordinator of the Johnson County Sexual Assault Response Team.
A strangulation around the jugular vein requires about 4.4 pounds of pressure to “block” or stop blood flow, Rasmussen said. It would take 35 to 46 pounds of pressure to rupture a trachea, and someone could be strangled unconscious in as little as 10 seconds, she said.
The defense argued that unintentional injury from strangulation was “not only possible but common,” indicating Younes did not try to kill Rizzo.
“It is therefore reasonable that the defendant, who was not yet 20 years old at the time, would not have been aware that he was placing Ms. Rizzo in danger,” Younes’ attorney, Jeffrey Powell, wrote. “In fact, he didn’t want to kill her.”
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Prosecutors said in closing arguments that the only reason Younis didn’t kill Rizzo was because two students noticed Younes was on top of Rizzo.
“If (the two students) had not decided to leave the Arts Building West and go home, and if they had not been brave and responsible women, Anne Rizzo would have died,” Zimmerman-Smith wrote in the state’s closing argument.
Younes was also convicted of fleeing the country
In May 2023, Younes was placed under house arrest while awaiting trial later that month. On May 6, he cut off his ankle monitor and drove to Chicago, flying from O’Hare International Airport to Jordan.
His parents, Alfred and Lima, were arrested for their involvement and convicted of aiding his escape. Alfred Younes and Lima Younes were both sentenced to five years in prison, but their appeals to have their sentences shortened were dismissed.
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Eventually, University of Iowa police contacted Younes and convinced him to surrender to the U.S. Embassy in Jordan.
According to the 2024 release, UIPD “established and maintained an open line of communication with Younis upon his arrival in Jordan” and the department facilitated his “voluntary return” with the help of the Jordanian Embassy.
On September 2, 2024, Younes was booked back into the Johnson County Jail, ending a nearly 18-month manhunt that included the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the News-Citizen. He can be contacted via: rhansen@press-citizen.com Or X @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared in The Iowa City News-Citizen: Former University of Iowa student Ali Younes found guilty of attempted murder, robbery
