A Columbus Junction man has been charged with first degree murder following the death of a man in Louisa County in June. 

Ilario “AKA Salvador” Castenda has been charged with first degree murder, a class A felony, in addition to his previous Felony Abuse of a Corpse charge in the same case.

According to the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, at approximately 4:29 p.m. on June 25, the department responded to a report of a vehicle crash in the 14000 block of R Avenue near Columbus Junction. They found a van wrecked in the ditch with a cellphone and a handgun. In the opposite ditch, officers found Noe Ibarra Tijerina deceased with a gunshot wound to the head, a cord wrapped around his torso, and injuries consistent with being dragged behind a vehicle. Tijerina’s autopsy showed his cause of death to be a small caliber gunshot wound. Witnesses identified Castaneda as the van’s driver.

According to the sheriff’s office, Castaneda admitted in an interview to being with Tijerina during the day, possessing a small firearm, keeping it in the van, and was in possession of the van key.  Executing a search warrant, investigators found a gray shirt and shoes that matched witness descriptions of Castaneda’s clothing at the scene with blood stains.

Castaneda remains in custody on a $1,000,000 cash bond. He also is being held on an immigration detainer that has been issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, ICE, Columbus Junction Police Department, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, Louisa County Attorney’s Office, Columbus Junction Fire Department and the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office were involved in the investigation.

Castaneda’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 2.