Photo: Pottawattamie County Jail
(Omaha, NE) -- A convicted sex offender, wanted in Colorado and hiding out in Council Bluffs, is going to prison for life. Jesse William Smith was convicted by a Pottawattamie County jury Thursday for the sexual assault of Natalia Manriquez Sepulveda, at the motel where she was a housekeeper. She later died of a fentanyl overdose.
The investigation began when Sepulveda, a housekeeper at the Super 8 motel in Council Bluffs, was found dead in a room during her regular work shift on September 7, 2023. Investigators found that she had died of an accidental fentanyl overdose. They say while she was dying, Smith sexually assaulted her. He then locked the door to the room behind him and left the motel. It was determined that, while Smith had nothing to do with the overdose, he made a decision to sexually assault Sepulveda while she was incapacitated and dying. Smith was arrested by Council Bluffs Police Department detectives a week later. He was found hiding in a house in Council Bluffs.
The Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office charged Smith with felony sex abuse and asked for the penalty to be enhanced to life in prison due to Smith’s prior criminal record from Colorado. The sentencing hearing is set for August 1.
Image courtesy of Pottawattamie County Jail.