Man who stabbed woman 11 times at Des Moines motel gets 25 years for attempted murder

A Des Moines man accused of stabbing a woman and starting a fire at a Des Moines motel has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

James Cason Jr., 55, was arrested in February 2021 after police were called to the Hawkeye Motel on Southeast 14th Street for a domestic disturbance. According to court filings, officers found a woman who had been stabbed nine times in the abdomen, once in the wrist and once in the leg. A bed in the room had been set on fire and the woman told officers Cason had choked her to the point that she lost consciousness.

Prosecutors charged Cason with arson, attempted murder, willful injury and domestic abuse. On May 2, court records show, Cason pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced the following day to 25 years, of which he must serve at least 17 1/2 before he is eligible for parole.

Police said at the time of the arrest that Cason and the victim had been smoking meth when Cason suddenly attacked her. He left after setting the hotel room on fire, but returned shortly after officers arrived, they said.

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William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.