Judge gives Roy Browning Jr. a 50-year sentence in 2019 murder of wife JoEllen

An elderly Iowa City man likely be in prison for the rest of his life, after a judge sentenced him to 50 years in prison for the 2019 murder of his wife.

Roy Browning Jr., 70, pleaded guilty in October to second-degree murder in the stabbing of JoEllen Browning at their Eastside Iowa City home.

After hearing from prosecutors, Roy Browning and his daughter Elizabeth Browning Adianse, Johnson County District Court Judge Kevin McKeever imposed the 50 year sentence and ordered Browning serve 35 years before becoming eligible for parole.

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Roy Browning was 67 at the time of the killing, meaning he would be 102 if he lives long enough to seek parole. He was also ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to her other remaining family.

When she spoke, Browning Adianse referred to her father as "the person who ended my mother's life" and said she wouldn't talk about him but wanted to describe her mom.

"My mom was the power suit she wore. She was driven and she wasn't afraid to make change at work and she didn't let herself be treated as less than," she said.

"I think this sentence is very appropriate for what Mr. Browning did to his wife in killing her and taking her away from her kids and family," Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness said at the sentencing.

Roy Browning, however, maintained his innocence, having entered a so-called Alford plea in which he conceded he would be convicted without admitting guilt.

For his part, Roy Browning described JoEllen Browning to McKeever as "perfect in so many ways" and maintained he had not killed her.

"I took the Alford plea so I could claim my innocence and I will prove my innocence... before I die," he said.

What the evidence shows about JoEllen Browning's death

Had the case gone to trial, prosecutors were set to present evidence and testimony that Roy Browning stabbed his wife before she was set to learn he had siphoned money from their bank account and secretly taken out high-interest loans, according to court papers.

On April 4 she sent him a text that they would meet with a banker to go over their accounts the next day, court records show.

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After acknowledging her text, Roy Browning went to a paint store to buy gloves and towels, according to an affidavit by police.

At about 7 a.m. the following morning, Roy Browning called 911 to report that his wife was unresponsive, according to court papers.

When authorities arrived at their Eastside Iowa City home, they found that JoEllen Browning had been stabbed repeatedly in her hand and torso, arrest documents said.

At the time of her death, JoEllen Browning had retirement assets and a life insurance policy worth in excess of $2 million.

After her death was ruled a homicide, DNA from skin under JoEllen Browning's nails was found to be a match to her husband, court papers allege.

Following a months-long investigation, Browning was arrested in October 2019 but his trial was repeatedly delayed during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Who was JoEllen Browning

Browning Adianse referred to her mom as "WW" — Wonder Woman — because JoEllen Browning would often call herself that when she accomplished feats, big or small, even if it was as simple as not burning toast.

JoEllen Browning, 65 at her death, was a budget manager and longtime administrator at University of Iowa Health Care.

Browning Adianse said that her mother wanted more than anything to be a grandma and would have been the best grandmother.

"She would have loved to watch our boys every opportunity she got no matter what she had going on. She would have been so involved with them and not watching them grow up from the sidelines. It breaks my heart she didn't get to enjoy that or her retirement," Browning Adianse said.

She said the prosecution and ensuing media coverage had left her and her family unable to grieve.

"I don't know how to find words to explain the pain and emotions we still struggle with, but I can tell you with certainty that it has made it difficult to feel that we can trust in people or in the process," she said.

"The world I knew is gone. The focus should be on my mom and her truth. Her death is not her legacy," Browning said.

George Shillcock is the Press-Citizen's local government and development reporter covering Iowa City and Johnson County. He can be reached at (319) 214-5039, GShillcock@press-citizen.com and on Twitter @ShillcockGeorge

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Roy Browning Jr. sentenced to prison for murdering wife JoEllen in 2019