Aaron McAtee
By: 
Kim Brooks
Express Editor

     “Our family has had a great loss by what you have done. I am not going to try and understand why. Our son was a family man, dedicated to his family, work and community. We have been told many times how people were warmed by his quick wit and remarks. Family was always first. He was thinking about providing for his family each day. The impact on this has left an emptiness in our hearts.”

   Those words were read on behalf of Becky McAtee, Aaron McAtee’s mother, during the June 4 sentencing of Nathan Russell for the 1st degree murder charge.

   “I was probably too kind, what I said to him (Russell),” she said.

   On Nov. 7, 2023, Russell shot and killed Aaron outside of the Fareway Store in Monticello where Aaron worked as the meat manager.

   Aaron’s parents, siblings, and family friends were present on June 4 in the District Courtroom in Anamosa for Russell’s sentencing.

   In December, Russell pleaded not guilty to three felony charges, all stemming from the murder of Aaron McAtee.

   “I was really concerned that he (Russell) would maybe get off or plead to a lesser charge,” Becky said. “And I didn’t know at first how strong of a case they had. They really couldn’t tell us a whole lot.”

   Sitting the courtroom on June 4, hearing Russell plead guilty to murdering her son seven months prior, Becky offered, “It was a constant peeling the scab off-type of situation. It was hard enough losing Aaron.”

   Becky recalled that horrific day on Nov. 7…

   “I really thought Aaron had a chance. When we first got the call, Dan (Aaron’s father) came in and said, ‘He’s been shot.’”

   Becky shared that Aaron was still able to talk, which gave them hope.

   When the extended family all arrived at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City where Aaron was transferred to, they were all in one big room.

   It was before her son’s passing that they heard the news that the apparent suspect had been apprehended.

   “Mason (Aaron’s son) was on his cell phone and he said, ‘They got the guy.’

   “I just wanted to make sure they had the right guy,” continued Becky. “We didn’t know if there were more than one; you just don’t know…we just didn’t know.”

   The following week after Aaron passed away, Nov. 14 and 15, his family held his visitation and funeral, both at the Monticello Berndes Center. Knowing just how many people would be in attendance, they knew they’d need a large space.

   Becky and Dan McAtee raised their three children in Wyoming. Aaron worked and lived in Monticello. Suffice to say, the entire county and then some, showed their support for the McAtees.

   “It didn’t matter where you went,” Becky said through tear-filled eyes, “the support was just tremendous! It was just really nice.”

   The last seven months no doubt kept the McAtees on pins and needles as they waited to see whether the case against Russell would go to trial or not. Finally, on May 31, they got word.

   Russell was pleading guilty to 1st degree murder and would be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

   As the family sat in the courtroom, Becky felt as if Russell might decide the change his mind.

   “That was the first thing I asked,” she said. “‘Are we sure he’s not just jerking our chain?’ I really thought maybe he might be.”

   Becky admitted she kept it together until Russell actually admitted to murdering her son.

   “Mr. Russell, would you please tell me, in your own words, what you did to commit murder in the 1st degree?” asked Judge Andrew Chappell.

   “I had an AR-15 in my car and I shot Aaron McAtee,” he replied.

   “The yes-no questions didn’t bother me,” she said of the back-and-forth between the judge and Russell. “But when he admitted what he did to Aaron… He didn’t say why; never did he say why.

   “I don’t know if he had any remorse,” she continued. “I really didn’t see that.”

   Russell’s defense attorney, Douglas Davis, shared a statement during the sentencing. He told the judge that he’d gotten to know Russell throughout the last seven months, and that “each time, he (Russell) feels more remorse and is sorry for what he’s done and the pain that he has inflicted, not just on the community, but more importantly on the family and friends of Aaron.”

   “That was a bunch of…,” remarked Becky, keeping a few choice words to herself. “I just wanted him (Russell) to go away. We didn’t care what happened to him once he was gone; we don’t care.”

   Becky said she tells herself that it was just Aaron’s time.

   “That’s how I look at it. I have to tell myself that. That’s the way it was.”

   It wasn’t until after the sentencing that the family was told that Russell took offense to the depositions given by the witnesses for trial purposes.

   “He didn’t like it, that they had such a solid case, from my understanding,” she said. “I don’t know who all of the witnesses were; we never got into it, we never got to see that part of it.”

   In the days following their day in court, Becky took the time to send personal thank-yous to everyone involved: DCI, police, sheriff deputies, ambulance, county attorney’s office, etc.

   “I complimented them all.”

   As the McAtees try to carry on, Becky and Dan still attend their grandsons’ sporting events and school activities.

   “It’s what Aaron would want,” she said as tears welled up in her eyes. “He loved Monticello. He just loved his community. It just sucks. He was all about his family. He worked a lot, but he also loved seeing the people, too. And the people knew it when they came to Fareway.

   The one thing I want people to do to is to support that Fareway. I know some people miss Aaron so they don’t go in there. That would have been the first things Aaron would have wanted, them to go back and to keep going back there.

   “The new guy Todd (Larkins) who took over is a big gentle giant. He’s very nice. We want the community to continue to support his store, be there for his family, too. And they really have been.”

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