Iowa Department of Public Safety
Larry L. Noble, Commissioner
215 East 7th Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50319

John F. Quinn, Director

Arrest Related to March Death of Harlan Man

Harlan, IOWA --- Today, Monday, May 2, 2011 at approximately 10:30 AM, officers with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Harlan Police Department arrested 20 year old Colton Edward Benson-Blaine at his residence, 502 Willow St., Harlan, Iowa.  Benson-Blaine has been charged with Murder – 2nd degree, a class B Felony, for the death of 39 year old Jay Anthony Casali.

During the early morning hours of Saturday, March 5, 2011, Benson-Blaine and Casali were involved in an altercation inside a Harlan residence.  Casali was subsequently transported by ambulance to Myrtue Medical Center in Harlan, where he received treatment for his injuries. 

On the evening of Sunday, March 6, 2011, Jay Casali was discovered deceased inside a different Harlan residence.  An autopsy was conducted by the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office and it was determined that the injuries inflicted by Benson-Blaine were a contributing factor to Casali’s death. 

Please note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation and all subjects should be considered innocent until or unless proven guilty in a court of law.   

To enroll in the DPS E-mail Notification system simply log on to https://dpsemailnotify.iowa.gov and follow the instructions to enroll as a new user.