CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (TCN) — Police arrested three brothers on multiple charges after their brother died while being held down with ratchet straps on his bed.
According to the Cedar Rapids Police Department, on Nov. 9, 2024, officers responded to a call about a death at a home on Roemig Street Southwest. When they arrived, they located 18-year-old Ezekiel Baseme deceased.
Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Division opened a case into his death, and on March 28, the police department announced Christian Baseme, 29, Pierre Baseme, 26, and Azane Baseme, 23, were arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, assault causing bodily injury, and false imprisonment.
They are in custody at the Linn County Correctional Center with bond set at $10,000.
Court documents cited by KCRG-TV say Ezekiel Baseme had schizophrenia and went through a mental health episode a few days before his death. He reportedly threatened his relatives, attacked Christian Baseme, and made comments about suicide. According to KCRG, at one point, Ezekiel Baseme reportedly escaped the house by climbing out of a window and threatening his neighbors. One neighbor reportedly said they would shoot him.
KCRG reports the victim previously asked his family to kill him.
After the escape incident, the brothers allegedly tied Ezekiel Baseme to the bed because they became worried about his safety to himself and others. The brothers allegedly used rope at first, but Ezekiel Baseme freed himself. After that, they reportedly tied him with ratchet straps.
Ezekiel Baseme allegedly refused to eat or drink for several days. When they untied him to give him water, he reportedly tried to fight them. He reportedly stopped breathing on Nov. 6, but his heart kept beating. By Nov. 9, he began to “swell and smell,” so they called authorities.
The medical examiner concluded that Ezekiel Baseme died from “complications of probable starvation and dehydration in a setting of physical restraint.”
