An Iowa teen just one day short of his 18th birthday has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in the death of a staff member at a Johnston home for troubled youth.
Kathleen Galloway-Menke, 50, of Des Moines, who worked at Ellipsis Iowa on NW Beaver Drive, died six days after resident Jovahn Mathis, then 15, shoved her as he was trying to leave the facility on May 14, 2024. Galloway-Menke fell and hit her head on concrete, suffering the injury that claimed her life.
Mathis was originally charged with second-degree murder. He pleaded guilty in May 2025 to voluntary manslaughter and assault in adult court.
Kathleen Galloway-Menke
Judge Samantha Gronewald sentenced him on Friday, July 31, to 20 years in prison, according to a news release from the Polk County Attorney’s Office. Gronewald denied him probation and ordered him to pay $150,000 to Galloway-Menke’s estate, as required under Iowa law.
Mathis has resided at the Iowa Boys State Training School in Eldora since his arrest, and will be transferred to prison when he turns 18 on Saturday.
Mathis’ attorneys, before sentencing, requested a deferred judgment or that he be sent to the Fort Des Moines Community Corrections Complex, a minimum-security facility where he could get a job, continue therapy and attend Des Moines Area Community College, which has accepted him for enrollment, the release said.
Raya Dimitrova, Mathis’ attorney, argued the Department of Corrections was not equipped to handle Mathis’ “complicated mental health condition,” according to the release. But Assistant County Attorney Nan Horvat said Mathis has experienced setbacks while at the state training school, including the assault of two officers there last week, and “is a public safety risk.”
Mathis, in a statement to the court ahead of his sentencing, spoke directly to Galloway-Menke, saying, “Kathleen, I don’t know if you can hear me. I want you to know that I am truly sorry. … I didn’t mean for you to be hurt.”
Victim’s daughters pursue lawsuit against Ellipsis
Galloway-Menke’s two adult daughters, Chloe Williamson and Camille Menke, have long maintained that negligence on the part of Ellipsis played a role in her death. Williamson, who had worked at Ellipsis before the killing, told the Register that Mathis was known to be aggressive and that warnings to management had been ignored.
The two in June sued more than a dozen people associated with Ellipsis, including Chris Koepplin, CEO at the time of their mother’s death. Their complaint describes issues of “inadequate security, chronic understaffing, malfunctioning or unavailable communication devices” and other problems it alleges were known and not addressed prior to Galloway-Menke’s injury.
It cited an investigation by the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration that cited Ellipsis for failing to protect employees from workplace violence and other shortcomings.
In a statement following the suit’s filing, current Ellipsis CEO Kelly Hannan said the organization wanted to continue to support Galloway-Menke’s family.
“Our hearts remain with Kathleen’s family and all those affected by this loss,” she said. “While we cannot comment on the pending litigation, we can state that we are committed to seeking a fair and just outcome in this matter while keeping our focus on the vulnerable youth and families we serve.”
Kyle Werner is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Teen gets 20 years for assault that killed Johnston youth home worker
