For Immediate Release
Former UI Student Sentenced to 50 Years for Attempted Murder, 1st Degree Robbery
April 27, 2026 (JOHNSON COUNTY, IA) – Today former University of Iowa student Ali Younes, 22, was sentenced to 50 years for charges related to an incident that occurred on the UI campus in April 2022 where Younes strangled a woman who was walking alone at night and stole her earrings once she was unconscious. Younes was sentenced to two 25-year sentences for Attempted Murder, a Class B Felony, and 25 years for Robbery in the 1st Degree, also a Class B Felony, to be run consecutively. Each 25-year sentence has a 17.5-year mandatory minimum. Younes was sentenced to 10 years for Theft in the 1st Degree, a Class C Felony, which will run concurrently with the sentences for Attempted Murder and Robbery.
Younes was also sentenced to 5 years in a related court case for a charge of Escape from Custody – Felon, a Class D Felony. This sentence will run concurrently with the other sentences.
After the sentencing today, Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann Smith said, “Today, after four years, the victim and the community can rest easier knowing that the Defendant will not be able to hurt anyone else.”
This case was investigated by the University of Iowa Police Department and prosecuted by Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann Smith and Assistant County Attorney Haley Huddleston.
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Read the PDF of this release and the attached court documents.