Iowa City man pleads guilty in stabbing death of his wife

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The husband of a University of Iowa health care administrator pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder in her 2019 stabbing death.

Roy Browning Jr., 70, had been facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of his wife, JoEllen Browning, but he agreed to plead guilty to the reduced charge a month before he was set to go to trial, according to KCRG-TV.

His plea will mean a prison term of 50 years with a requirement that he serve 70% of the sentence before being eligible for parole.

Police had arrested Browning months after he called 911 to report he had found his wife unresponsive on her bedroom floor in their Iowa City home. She had been stabbed in the front and back of her torso and left hand.

JoEllen Browning, 65, had been a budget director at University of Iowa Health Care, where she worked for decades.

Court documents had alleged Browning killed his wife as a result of lying to her about financial problems.

He will be sentenced Dec. 2.