Report: Family of woman who tumbled from balcony speaks out after boyfriend cleared of murder
The family of a woman who died Feb. 12 after being beaten by her boyfriend said in a statement shared with KCCI News that Trisha Kunze "did not get the justice she deserved" when a Dallas County jury this week found the man guilty of assault instead of murder.
Kunze, 23, died after falling from the third-story balcony of the West Des Moines apartment she shared with Nathen Cameron. Investigators found numerous injuries on Kunze inconsistent with a fall, including evidence she had been choked, and obtained messages in which Cameron had threatened to kill Kunze, while surveillance video showed him following her into the apartment building and leaving minutes after her fall.
Prosecutors charged Cameron, 28, with murder and other offenses. On Monday, after a two-week trial, jurors convicted Cameron of assault causing serious injury and misdemeanor domestic abuse, but not of the more serious charges, including murder, that could have sent him to prison for life.
Previously:West Des Moines man convicted on lesser charges in girlfriend's fatal fall from balcony
In their statement, Kunze's family described evidence the court barred jurors from hearing, including allegations of previous domestic violence by Cameron, and said they remained convinced of his responsibility for her death.
"On October 24, 2022 our world was turned upside down again," they wrote. "The Justice system does not work in America. Our beautiful daughter Trisha Louise Kunze did not get the justice she deserved. The justice system does not allow for a lot of important evidence to be used. Documented and reported incidents of past physical abuse were excluded from trial that showed a clear pattern of escalating violence."
They cited threatening text messages that were part of the trial evidence, with messages such as "if I get home before you, your life is over" and "you are going to pay tonight."
They also pointed to several aspects of the case they thought were at odds with the verdict, including what they said was testimony by medical experts that Kunze "sustained multiple injuries NOT consistent with her fall including her broken knee."
"The jury acknowledged that her beat her and shattered her kneecap but ... never accounted for how she fell from a 3rd story balcony when medical experts testified, she could not have climbed or fell by herself," the family wrote
More:Family remembers slain West Des Moines woman Trisha Kunze in emotional statement
"To the twelve jurors you let a dangerous man walk free. We tried to save the next victims, so what happens to the next victims is now on your hands. Thank you to all who supported and prayed for our family and Trisha. Our hearts are forever broken and changed."
The judge has ordered the jury list sealed so none of the members can be contacted.
The family did not respond to a request for further comment. Cameron could not be reached for comment, and Cameron's public defenders declined to comment.
Are you a victim of domestic violence, or do you know someone who may be? Help is available at Children & Families of Iowa’s Local Crisis Hotline at 515-243-6147 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Report: Trisha Kunze's family speaks after boyfriend cleared of murder
