By Seth Boyes,
Hunter Thomas Youngblood
Attorneys defending a Decorah man accused of attempted murder are claiming certain evidence against their client shouldn’t be considered at trial.
Hunter Thomas Youngblood was charged with multiple offenses after law enforcement responded to a domestic disturbance at approximately 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21 at a home in the Freeport area. Criminal complaints in the case say two victims placed separate emergency calls to the Winneshiek County Communications Center around that time, and a responding Winneshiek County Sheriff’s deputy ultimately found Youngblood inside on the floor of the kitchen “with apparent self-inflicted stab wounds to the abdomen.”
The 22-year-old was airlifted from WinnMed in Decorah, according to a previous statement from the sheriff’s office — later court filings indicate Youngblood was served with a no contact order while at a Gunderson Health System facility in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Youngblood turned himself in at the Winneshiek County Jail on Sept. 30, according to court filings. He was booked into the jail that same day and charged with attempted murder, willful injury, first-degree harassment, domestic abuse/assault and assault causing bodily injury.
Youngblood pleaded not guilty to the charges on Oct. 24, and his defense attorney has now asked the court to “suppress all evidence arising out of his interactions with law enforcement that took place at the scene of the alleged crimes, the hospital where he was treated and the Winneshiek County Jail.”
Criminal complaints filed against the 22-year-old outlined three separate incidents which took place the evening of Saturday, Sept. 21. Court filings claim Youngblood struck a woman — described as Youngblood’s domestic partner — in the face and upper body several times while they were traveling along Highway 52. The victim’s mother confronted Youngblood about her daughter’s injuries after they arrived at a residence in the 2500 block of 170th Avenue, according to court filings. A criminal complaint alleges Youngblood then began strangling the initial victim’s mother on the couch while threatening to kill her.
“Statements made by both victims were corroborated by visible bodily injuries consistent with the acts alleged as well as with 911 audio recordings,” a criminal complaint said.
The first victim escaped the house and made an emergency call, according to court filings, while Youngblood left the residence in pursuit. The woman was able to return to the home and lock the front door, but the back door “could not be secured mechanically,” according to the criminal complaint, and the two women attempted to hold the door closed.
The Winneshiek County Emergency Communications Center received 911 calls from both women that night. The older of the two identified Youngblood by name, saying he had assaulted them both.
“Shortly after, both females can be heard screaming on the 911 calls as Hunter forced entry back into the residence,” a criminal complaint said.
Youngblood then resumed his alleged assault on the mother, according to court documents. The mother was able to escape to a rear bedroom. Her daughter ran to a Winneshiek County Sheriff’s deputy arriving on scene, and the deputy located Youngblood inside the kitchen.
Defense attorney Alex Gilmore, of F.M. Brown Law Firm in Des Moines, argues Youngblood’s constitutional right to avoid self-incrimination was violated when he was questioned at both the scene of the incident and the hospital. Gilmore also claimed Youngblood had the right to have legal counsel present when he was questioned at the Winneshiek County Jail.
“Violation of these rights requires suppression of statements made by Mr. Youngblood in response to law enforcement interaction,” Gilmore wrote in his recent motion. “All other evidence gathered because of these violations must also be suppressed as fruits of a poisonous tree.”
Youngblood’s case was most recently scheduled to go to trial Dec. 18, but he waived his right to a speedy trial — one within 90 days of formal charges being filed — in a Dec. 5 filing. The trial is currently scheduled for March 12, 2025.
Youngblood remains in custody at the Winneshiek County Jail on a $75,000 bond.
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This is how a lot of abusers get off the charges cause there’s always something in the case that gets thrown out so the jury doesn’t know everything that was done.