Couple Who Kidnapped His Ex, Slashed Her Throat, Ran Her Over Sentenced — Sufferer Makes Assertion

Jordan Blake Mangum, 42, was sentenced on Friday to serve as much as 45 years in jail for tried homicide and kidnapping of Cox, who can also be the mom of his little one. He should serve a minimum of 22 1/2 years earlier than he might be eligible for parole, per a press launch from Polk County, Iowa.

The sentence comes after he entered an Alford plea final month, per Regulation&Crime, which is when a defendant doesn’t plead responsible, however acknowledges there’s sufficient proof for a conviction. He additionally pleaded responsible to Third-degree kidnapping, assault whereas taking part in a felony, and home abuse impeding air/blood stream inflicting damage.

His co-defendant and girlfriend, Jessica Ann Marie Wheeler, 36, was sentenced Thursday to 35 years on the identical prices after her responsible plea, per the discharge. She should serve 17 1/2 years earlier than she’ll be eligible for parole.

In keeping with the discharge, investigators have been in a position to piece collectively what occurred on December 2, 2023 when Mangum and Wheeler entered Cox’s Des Moines residence, the place she was together with her and Mangum’s 6-year-old son. Inside, her arms have been allegedly sure with duct tape and he or she was compelled into the identical minivan that will later run her over a number of instances, in response to police.

She was then taken to Mangum’s residence, per the investigation, the place she was tied up and held for a number of days. From there, the couple allegedly took her to an undisclosed location, strangled her, slashed her throat, and proceeded to run her over a number of instances with the van.

She purportedly pleaded with Mangum to cease, begging for her life, per the discharge, after which he did, taking her to a hospital and dropping her off outdoors, severely injured. This was at roughly 8 p.m. that very same night time.

As detailed by the state, Mangum purportedly admitted to investigators that he participated within the kidnapping and assaulted Cox with a knife, it was Wheeler who ran her over and wished her to die.

For her half, Wheeler reportedly advised authorities that Mangum threatened her into her participation, per the Des Moines Register, saying they’d solely spoken “jokingly” concerning the kidnapping earlier than it occurred.

This assault was the second alleged occasion of recorded abuse between Mangum and Cox, as he’d been arrested and charged with home abuse (his second offense) simply two weeks earlier than. The earlier offense had been a decade prior, and in addition in opposition to Cox.

In keeping with the sufferer after the December 2 assault, Mangum attacked her this second time in an try to get her to drop her case in opposition to him. It was her refusal that induced the violence to escalate, she claimed.

The proof in that prior case was fairly damning, as Cox stated she’d been in a position to report Mangum choking her in entrance of their son, leaving seen marks on her neck, as reported by the Register. After she reported this occasion, Mangum was giving a no-contact order and advised to go away the house.

In court docket for Mangum’s sentencing, Cox learn out a sufferer affect assertion the place she stated that after 13 years of bodily, emotional, and psychological abuse, “the toughest half was realizing that what I endured was not love, however management masquerading as care.”

Talking about Mangum himself, per the Register, she advised the decide, “He doesn’t settle for accountability or present regret for his actions, as an alternative believing he is aware of higher than everybody else in court docket.”

“The street to restoration has not often been easy for me. There are moments when emotions like anger and unhappiness turn into overwhelming,” Cox stated, per the state’s launch. “Even so, this journey has reignited my willpower — to not enable anybody else to outline who I’m or diminish my dignity.”

“By partaking in remedy, reaching out to supportive individuals, and trusting my very own instinct, I’m focusing not simply on security, but additionally on constructing a life crammed with real happiness,” she added. “Now, as I stand right here, I do know that telling this reality out loud is the bravest act I’ll ever carry out. Talking these phrases, I’m not solely asking for justice — I’m reclaiming my voice.”

She requested that the decide give Mangum the utmost sentence allowed by the legislation, a request that was honored. Regulation&Crime studies that she is now elevating their younger son alone whereas attending faculty for accounting and dealing in retail.

In keeping with the discharge, Mangum gave a protracted assertion of his personal, apologizing to those that have been affected. “I absolutely and actually remorse all that transpired,” he stated, partly. At one level, per the Register, he stated, “I don’t assume there’s any phrases within the human language accessible to me presently to explain the way in which I really feel or see this example.”

However, as famous by Assistant County Legal professional Shannon Bogolin in a follow-up assertion on the listening to, “the one one that suffered the best wasn’t even talked about” in his feedback. It was Bogolin’s request that the defendant serve his sentences consecutively, one other request that was honored.

In an interview with the Register, Bogolin stated, “It’s really easy for us to say, why don’t they depart? I feel it is a good instance of, when she was attempting to go away, that is what escalated.”

In passing his sentence, Choose Joseph Seidlin stated, “What you, Mr. Mangum, did to the mom of your little one, was that you simply kidnapped her, assaulted her, and tried to kill her. These are phrases which are available in our language to acknowledge [what you did]. What I didn’t hear is you taking accountability in your actions.”

At her sentencing, Wheeler stated that she wished Cox to know “that I didn’t need this to ever occur, this was by no means the plan on my aspect.” She claimed that it was Mangum who “had talked jokingly to me about this, however I assumed it was by no means going to occur.”

Seidlin was equally extreme when sentencing Wheeler for her actions, per the Register, telling her, “This was grotesque from begin to end, and also you had the power to cease this at any cut-off date, and also you did not.”