Jonathan Memmer murder and arson in Iowa City

A strange aesthetic choice was applied to the crime scene photography in this episode. Forensic Files would've normally shared photos from the aftermath of the apartment fire and let viewers discern the relevant visuals. Sometimes these are framed, panned, and occasionally a portion is highlighted and zoomed. But this time around, an artistic treatment was applied. In each scene, a prominent feature or two was given extra attention. These items were cropped from the background and layered back onto the photo. A mild color or shading treatment was applied, and to really make the item stand out, the item and the background were panned at different speeds. This seemed to be an attempt to create visual interest and something of a three-dimensional effect. A few other episodes in season eight also applied this treatment, but in the other episodes I surveyed, this was rare. It seemed only this episode chose to treat all of the crime scene photos in this way. I wasn't a fan – I didn't end up using any of these shots for the images in this article.

Iowa City's Jonathan Memmer

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

The victims of this case are the only people worth caring about and discussing. Laura Watson-Dalton and Maria Lehner were both simply doing the things that young women do while visiting another town, and neither deserved to be victimized by a low-life like Jonathan Memmer. Laura was a paramedic and was in Iowa City to visit her cousin and celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. Maria was an environmental scientist on a business trip. Both of these average women had typical intentions, and unlike Jon Memmer, they had jobs.

Jonathan Memmer was best described as a drifter. He had no fixed address nor  job. The 23-year-old was physically capable of working, but the lazy bastard simply wanted to party and ignore all of life's other responsibilities. His upbringing and parents weren't described, but this petty criminal essentially made his money by being a thief. Somehow, he had enough money to go to various bars on a seemingly regular basis. It may be easy to get someone to buy you a drink occasionally, but it's a wonder how Memmer kept up this lifestyle.

He might have had the "gift of gab" when talking with some women, but Jon Memmer didn't come by this through his education or wits. Consider this moron decided to light up a cigarette while he was dousing his crime scene with gasoline. He nearly killed himself when the fumes ignited and blew a hole through the wall to the outside. This also burned his nose and caused his cigarette and glasses to fall to the floor. Despite how obviously stupid you have to be to smoke near gasoline, I still occasionally see some numbskull smoking a cigarette at a gas station.

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

Preserving his own life, it's no wonder Jon Memmer left his glasses at the scene. And without a genuine homestead, it's likely he didn't have a backup pair. But needing glasses and knowing detectives on your trail might notice you no longer own them, Memmer should've tried to replace them quickly, and on the downlow. While investigators might be able to trace a local store that just sold their suspect a new pair of glasses, why not go a couple towns over and buy some?

But Memmer's coup de gras of foolishness was revealed when he sold the stolen items from the apartment at a local pawn shop and used his own ID. I'm not sure he had many options since he likely didn't own a car, but when you're fencing stolen goods, the first thing you should consider is how to remain anonymous. Memmer could've given a patsy a cut of the loot to sell the items for him. He could've tried to (again) go a couple towns over. Or he could've tried a fake ID or an outlet other than a by-the-books pawn shop.

Bad choices are often forgivable, but in addition to his callous murder of two innocent women for his own disgusting pleasure, Jonathan Memmer committed an additional atrocity. When he started the fire in the apartment in a failed attempt to destroy the evidence of his crimes, he gave zero regard to the other residents living in the building. The fire could've engulfed the entire structure, trapping and burning countless additional victims to death. It takes a seriously heartless asshole to endanger so many bystanders.

No match for Iowa City's finest

Reconstructing the events in the days before Memmer's arson, one has to cringe. It's logical to suggest that Laura Watson-Dalton was Jon Memmer's first victim – picked up at an Iowa City bar on a Wednesday night, two nights before the fire. He likely murdered Laura in the early morning hours on Thursday. Then this dirtbag was back at another bar Thursday night attempting to commit the same heinous crime. He was likely spending money he stole from Laura when he met and picked up Maria Lehner. Somehow convincing Maria to accompany him back to the apartment, Memmer did the unthinkable. While his first victim from a mere 24 hours before lay dead in another bedroom, Jon Memmer murdered Maria Lehner as well. There's a special place in hell for someone as callous and selfish as Jonathan Memmer.

But as usual, authorities were much smarter than their clueless counterpart. Aware that Jon Memmer wore glasses, and finding glasses at the scene that didn't belong to either victim nor the apartment's tenants, investigators wanted to correlate them to their suspect. "Lensometry" was a new forensic tool I was able to add to the site's master list thanks to this episode. Using a lensometer, an ophthalmologist was able to determine the sphere, cylinder, and axis of the glasses' prescription. When this matched Jon Memmer's prescription, the case against him grew stronger.

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

Suspecting the half-smoked, discarded cigarette butt also belonged to Memmer, a simple DNA test was in order. Skin cells from the smoker's lips make the filter end of a cigarette a rich source for latent DNA. Since the technology for DNA fingerprinting was fairly advanced by 1999, amplifying the small sample wasn't difficult. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the technique used to rapidly and accurately make copies of DNA, creating a large enough sample for sequencing. And when compared, it was a perfect match for police's suspect, Jon Memmer.

Since Memmer admitted that he'd been in the apartment, there was a reasonable excuse for his glasses and a cigarette he smoked to be found inside – investigators needed additional evidence. Thankfully, Jon Memmer left additional clues. A footwear impression was located on a leather jacket belonging to Laura Dalton. The method used to find this shoeprint was unusual. Technicians had used superglue fuming to attempt to find finger, palm or footprints on the jacket. The fumes given off when heating cyanoacrylate glue will cling to residual oils left behind by a person's skin. But in this case, there must have been something on the bottom of a shoe when it made contact with the jacket. This unlikely deposition was fortunate when the print matched the very shoes Jonathan Memmer was wearing when he was taken into custody.

The previous evidence, perhaps even including the shoe print, might've been explainable, giving Jon Memmer plausible deniability. But when Maria Lehner's blood was found on Memmer's shoe, his conviction was all but certain. Despite his buffoonery, there was a fleeting chance that Memmer could've escaped justice. But Iowa City police, investigators, and technicians were determined to not allow this to happen.

Laura Watson-Dalton and Maria Lehner

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

My assertions here might come across as a bit judgmental, but it seemed Jon Memmer didn't have much going on. He typically looked disheveled; he didn't seem very fit; he wasn't well educated; he didn't have a job; unlikely had a car; and he was probably broke. How did such an unkempt young man attract the attention of women? Alcohol is a social lubricant. Laura Watson-Dalton had been out with friends when she met Jon Memmer. Maria Lehner was in town on business and had likely been alone.

To point a finger at Laura or Maria to cast an iota of responsibility for their deaths on them is victim-blaming. Each of these women were out doing what any normal, adult person is allowed to do. To say spending time with a strange man at a bar, or even returning to a residence with him put them in harm's way diminishes the responsibility that solely belongs to Jon Memmer. This predator was 100% responsible for these poor ladies' murders – nothing they did encouraged Memmer to assault and kill them. We shouldn't have a society where women need to be cautious because they might get victimized if they're not. That's bullshit.

One wonders how many other women were accosted by Jon Memmer before he was identified. It's likely he'd committed assault before – perhaps murder too? Thankfully, Memmer was easily apprehended before he could attack another woman. He was dumb enough to commit his crimes while on probation, so when he emerged as a suspect, law enforcement knew how to locate him.

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

Finally, to add insult to the victims' families – and to put himself firmly in the running for the title King Moron – Jon Memmer tattooed two teardrops by his right eye. His asinine claim that they were in memory of friends he'd lost in a car accident is laughable. Teardrop tattoos by one's eye has just a single meaning. But to get this done before his trial so the judge and everyone could see them – I can think of nothing more lamebrained. Good job numbnuts.

Where is Jonathan Memmer now in 2024?

In 2001, Jonathan Memmer was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and was given two life sentences. In 2004, Memmer applied for post-conviction relief on the grounds that he'd been given ineffectual counsel. This was denied. In 2012, Memmer again made an appeal, this time for a new trial. But the Iowa Court of Appeals denied this as well, upholding his original conviction. He's serving his term at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, Iowa.