CEDAR RAPIDS -- Alleging that she used one fatal stab, authorities charged the wife of a top UI medical-school administrator with first-degree murder in connection with his Wednesday morning death.
Richard Nelson, the executive dean of the College of Medicine, died at St. Luke's Hospital at 9:41 a.m., four hours after his wife allegedly stabbed him at an apartment that he rented here.
His wife, Phyllis Nelson, was booked without bond at the Linn County Correctional Facility after being interrogated by Cedar Rapids detectives. Police declined to comment on whether they had seized a weapon used in the attack, saying they are still investigating.
Phyllis Nelson is expected to make her initial court appearance today on the charge, which carries a mandatory life sentence upon conviction.
Richard Nelson, a 14-year UI veteran, earned national reputation for his work with disabled children. He specialized in child development, chronic illness, and preventive medicine. The 55-year-old father of two earned $277,000 in fiscal year 2001, making him one of the university's highest-paid employees.
Phyllis Nelson, 54, and her husband both listed their address at 1010 Highwood St. in Iowa City. University officials said Richard Nelson counted the Cedar Rapids apartment as his second residence.
Police responded to an emergency call to the residence at 5:32 a.m. They "barreled" through near darkness into the apartment complex, one neighbor said. Police emerged less than five minutes later escorting a woman with "mousy brown" hair to a squad car, said the neighbor, Cynthia Tucker.
"The woman looked terrified," she said. "Nothing unusual was going on before that."
Crimes such as vandalism and theft occur regularly in the area surrounding the apartment complex, said Tucker, who has lived in the building for 18 months. On Oct. 31, 2000, she said, someone ran a pickup truck through her east wall. But she does not feel threatened by the homicide, she said.
"There aren't any altercations in the stairwells or anything," she said, adding she didn't know Nelson. "Most of the people who live here are professionals."
News of Nelson's death reached the UI campus before noon, stunning his colleagues and others.
"You go through life with bosses you like, bosses you can relate to, bosses who are mediocre," said Steve Maravetz, the UI director of Health Science Relations. "[Nelson] was a boss you really felt affection for. He was the closest thing to a mentor I've ever had.
"It hasn't really hit me yet because I've been working, trying to stay focused," he added.
Nelson's counseling and patience helped Maravetz adjust when he was promoted to his current job in November 2000. Without Nelson, Maravetz said, he may not have been able to handle the job.
David Skorton, the UI vice president for Research, was one of Nelson's closest colleagues, working with him on various child-development projects. He called the death "a tremendous loss."
"[Richard] Nelson was a gentle, straightforward man who worked with children with developmental disabilities," he said. "This is a difficult area, and Nelson worked with the most challenging cases."
Medical-school Dean Robert Kelch, who also worked closely with Nelson, said he was a "beloved colleague."
"The faculty, staff, and students of UI Health Care and the UI are devastated by Dr. Nelson's passing," Kelch said in a statement.
The family's Iowa City neighbors said the Nelsons acted "normally" and were "wonderful" neighbors. The Nelsons have two adult daughters, Emily and Elise.
"This is very difficult," said neighbor Roger Tracy, who also worked with Nelson at UIHC. "He was a wonderful person, a tremendous leader, and a priceless asset."
Wednesday, Tracy added, marked the first birthday of the Nelsons' first grandchild.
