The list of defendants continues to steadily grow in the stabbing death of a Dubuque teenager, and more arrests are expected to follow.
Dubuque police on Wednesday arrested Moniquie M. Wilmer, 22, of 2835 Springreen Drive, for allegedly providing assistance to the suspects soon after the fatal assault last week on April Johnson, 17, of 5321/2 E. 22nd St.
Meanwhile, two defendants charged with first-degree murder made initial appearances in court Wednesday. Another female who also has been charged with first-degree murder has not been located by police.
"The investigation is continuing, and we believe there are other individuals that are involved," said Dubuque Assistant Police Chief Terry Tobin. "I would not rule out the possibility of additional charges being filed."
Moniquie Wilmer was charged with accessory after the fact, an aggravated misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine. She is scheduled to make an initial appearance in Dubuque County District Court today.
Tobin said the investigation has determined that Moniquie Wilmer was not at the 1500 block of Bluff Street the night of Sept. 1, when a group of four females attacked and stabbed Johnson, who was approximately six months pregnant, according to witness accounts.
Police have charged Moniquie Wilmer's sister Alberta M. Wilmer, 14, of Asbury, Iowa; their cousin Claricia M. Wilmer, 28, of Asbury; and Andrea W. Alsup, 22, of 2101 Kniest St., with first-degree murder.
All of the defendants are in custody, with the exception of Claricia Wilmer, whom police have been unable to locate. Investigators have identified the fourth suspect in the vehicle as a juvenile female, but they have not released any additional information.
Alsup appeared Wednesday in Dubuque County District Court, where a judge ordered that she remain jailed on a $100,000 cash bond. She was ordered to have no contact with the co-defendants or any witnesses. Alsup's preliminary hearing was scheduled for Sept. 14.
Alberta Wilmer appeared in juvenile court and continues to be held at the Northeast Iowa Juvenile Detention Center in Waterloo.
Investigators are attempting to learn more about Johnson, who had apparently moved to Dubuque in recent months. She was not enrolled in school in Dubuque, Tobin said.
"At this point, her family is involved in making arrangements for services in the Chicago area, so we have not been able to talk to them much," the assistant police chief said.
Many juveniles apparently witnessed the attack one week ago today and have subsequently provided police with information about the case, according to court documents.
"It is a neighborhood that has a large teenager and pre-teenager population," Tobin said. "They are out in the neighborhood playing and socializing, so they certainly make up a large degree of our witnesses."
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