Driver charged with murder after a woman and a dog were killed in a fatal hit-and-run

Editor’s Note: The following story includes graphic content that may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised. 

Carolyn Helmrichs knew exactly why a reporter was at her front door.

"Holy hell, what a day."

Helmrichs, 58, hadn't even had her morning coffee when she heard a crash shortly after 8 a.m. To her, it sounded like an explosion of sorts.

She left the CBS Sunday morning program on in her dining room and rushed to see the commotion outside her Beaverdale home.

A trailer was speeding and out of control down her road, Helmrichs said. Debris —including boots, gloves, broken bottles and pieces of the vehicle — were flying out of the trailer as it jumped around the block, causing damage along the way. Sparks flew as the trailer and the pickup truck pulling it knocked down traffic signs. An electric pole had been run out of the ground.

"I walk out of my front door and I see a dead dog," she said. "I looked to my right and I see a dead body laying at the mouth of the driveway of Price Chopper."

Helmrichs said she had never felt that kind of adrenaline before. She grabbed her phone and called 911.

Des Moines police responded to the hit-and-run at the 1700 block of Beaver Avenue, where they found a 38-year-old woman and the dog she'd been walking on a sunny Palm Sunday morning both dead at the scene.

Police say it was intentional. 

"You don't expect this kind of carnage when you open your front door," Helmrichs said.

Suspect charged with first-degree murder

Jason Robert Sassman, 49, is charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of animal neglect. 

The victim's name has not yet been released.

Police say Sassman was traveling at a high rate of speed northbound on Beaver Avenue when he "left the roadway, driving over the east curb," Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek wrote in a news release.

"The truck struck and severed a utility pole, continued on through residential yards and on the sidewalk, before striking the victim and her dog as they walked along the sidewalk," Parizek said in the release. "Sassman continued on, fleeing the scene, until the truck became disabled at Beaver Avenue and Hickman Road."

Sassman fled on foot, but was arrested near Beaver Avenue and Urbandale Avenue, police said.

Police say excessive speed and the intentional act of striking the victim were the major contributing factors in the victim's death. Impairment has not been ruled out.

"Vehicular homicide is usually an avoidable accident; murder is intentional," Parizek said. 

'It's the best neighborhood in Des Moines'

Helmrichs could point out on the road in front of her house which evidence belonged to each marker investigators had drawn at the crime scene.

"Right here was the dog," she said, pointing to a green circle. "Over there was a boot. A glove. Another glove right there," Helmrichs continued.

As she recalled the crime scene, neighbors continued their Sunday agendas. Dog walkers, bicyclists, mothers with their children, and runners passed by, all taking advantage of the crisp, bright weather. 

Across the street, a group of children jumped on a trampoline. 

Normally, the neighborhood is quiet, family-friendly; the scene of a murder isn't what comes to mind when Helmrichs thinks about her neighborhood.

"It's Beaverdale. It's the best neighborhood in Des Moines."

Check back for updates.

Andrea Sahouri covers breaking news for the Des Moines Register. She can be contacted at asahouri@registermedia.com, 515-284-8247 or on Twitter at @andreamsahouri.

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