Damion Lamont Chavez, 21, was charged with first-degree murder, a Class A felony, and first-degree robbery, a Class B felony, for the shooting death of 28-year-old Mohammed Yaqoub. Chavez was set to go to trial on these charges on July 20, but less than an hour before jury selection was to commence, the defendant accepted a plea agreement with the Webster County Attorney’s Office to plead guilty to one count of second-degree murder. The first-degree robbery charge was dismissed.

Webster County District Court Judge Angela Doyle sentenced Chavez on Wednesday morning to an indeterminate term of up to 50 years in prison, of which Chavez must serve at least 70 percent before he is eligible for parole or work release.

Prior to his sentencing, Chavez was given the opportunity to give a statement.

“First of all, I’d like to apologize to the victim’s family, and I just wanted y’all to know at this point in time, looking back on it and myself, I was not in the right state of mind and I’ve come a long way from the man that I was,” he said. “And I apologize to everyone here for my actions.”

“It’s a sad day for everybody involved,” Doyle said after handing down the sentence. “For the victim’s family, as well as your family and your friends who are present here in the courtroom. I encourage you to take advantage of the programs that will be offered to you while in prison so that when you are released, you’re no longer back here in this or any other courtroom. I wish you the best of luck.”

Yaqoub was killed around 8 p.m. on Oct. 11, 2019, during what police have called a drug deal gone wrong, in the parking lot behind Tom Thumb Drive In. Chavez was 19 at the time.

According to court documents, Chavez and another Fort Dodge teen, Tate Martinson, who was then 17, met Yaqoub ostensibly to purchase a pound of marijuana worth $2,000 from the victim. The two went into the transaction without any cash, intending to steal the pot, records show.

When Fort Dodge police responded to the shooting, they found Yaqoub in the passenger seat of a Chevrolet Impala. He was pronounced dead after resuscitation efforts.

Martinson was arrested a short time later, and eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and was sentenced to up to 25 years in prison. As a juvenile at the time of the offense, Martinson was not subject to mandatory minimum sentences. He is currently serving his sentence at the Clarinda Correctional Facility.

Chavez fled the state, but was arrested two days after the shooting. He was apprehended in Lowndes County, Georgia, after a traffic stop on Interstate 17, several miles north of the Florida border.