An Iowa City man may serve up to 15 years in prison after placing incediary devices at UI, Iowa City last year

An Iowa City man with diagnosed schizophrenia who planned to unleash homemade firecrackers as part of a public experiment has been sentenced to a maximum of 15 years in prison.

Nezzy Underscore Conway, 24, was found guilty of arson, possession of an explosive or incendiary device with intent to commit a public offense, and burglary May 19. He pled guilty to these charges as part of a plea agreement after previously pleading not guilty to charges that included terrorism, the Press-Citizen reported earlier this year.

Conway changed his name legally from Oskar Bendixen Holmes in 2021.

Conway faced up to 10 years each for his arson and possession of an explosive or incendiary device charges and five years for burglary, according to District Court Judge Andrew Chappell.

Assistant Johnson County attorney Michael Lang represented the state of Iowa and recommended 25 years for Conway due to the nature of his crimes and his plan and intent, he said.

The University of Iowa Police Department was called to the College of Public Health in July of last year for an incendiary device placed in an exterior electrical outlet. The outlet was singed where someone attempted to set it on fire, according to a criminal complaint. Written above the outlet on the wall in either soot or ash was the word “help.”

The same day, Johnson County Metro Bomb Squad and other law enforcement officers responded to the GuideLink Center, which provides mental health services, where police say Conway physically assaulted staff and resisted arrest.

Conway left a backpack that contained an incendiary device and an attached fuse that had the same brightly colored tape as the device that was found at the College of Public Health. Authorities found more incendiary devices in Conway's home with the same-colored tape, according to a criminal complaint. Police also recovered a notebook at Conway's Capitol House Apartment with “Use incendiaries to destroy the electrical box by the courthouse" inscribed, and signed by Conway.

At the end of June last year, Conway stole a propane tank from Proctor & Gamble that police found at his apartment.

Defense shows Nezzy Conway has a history of mental health challenges

Chappell said it is “striking” that Conway has no criminal history.

Conway wrote an apology letter directed at the University of Iowa and the GuideLink Center last year. In it, he wrote that his “homemade firecrackers” put people at risk and said he would not do any more “dangerous experiments” with incendiary or explosive materials. Conway said that in the future, he will be taking his prescribed “antipsychotic medication.”

A sentencing memorandum submitted by the defense requested that Conway be sentenced to 10 years with all sentences running concurrently.

The memorandum analyzed Conway’s family history and how his family has a history of mental health issues. His maternal uncle and father’s cousin were both diagnosed with schizophrenia.

In 2017, Conway was diagnosed with schizophrenia by physicians at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, according to the memorandum.

Nancy Williams, a psychiatrist with UIHC, testified on behalf of the defense. She told the court Friday that her diagnosis of Conway was that he is a paranoid schizophrenic and has a substance abuse disorder.

Williams said Conway needs an integrated dual disorder treatment, an evidence-based approach that treats both his mental illnesses and his substance abuse and described how that treatment extends to residential support and other forms of care.

She said symptom management is possible.

The defense showed how Conway has a history of mental health since he was a child.

By 2020, he had experienced auditory hallucinations — something he reported to Frank Gersh, who he sought treatment from for his mental health, up until their sessions ended with Conway’s arrest, the memorandum said.

Conway also self-harmed, even on the day of his arrest last year, the memorandum. revealed.

The defense acknowledged the “frightening” events that took place because of Conway’s actions but said no harm or serious property damage occurred.

Conway’s incarceration can be reduced by as much as half of his maximum sentence for good conduct, work and program credits.

Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Reach her at PBarraza@press-citizen.com or 319-519-9731. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.bri

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Man who planned to unleash homemade firecrackers sentenced to 15 years