A Des Moines woman who asked to be identified only as Luna says she was kidnapped from her own home in December 2023 and driven to Indianola against her will by her ex-partner and his new partner, who then bound her, blindfolded her, and nearly killed her. Police said she was tied up and blindfolded for hours before the attack turned deadly serious, and criminal complaints say she was choked, run over by a vehicle, and had her throat cut. Nearly two years later, both of her attackers are behind bars, and Luna is speaking publicly again about how she survived.
According to KCCI, police say the 32-year-old woman was kidnapped and taken to Indianola against her will, then tied up and blindfolded for hours. Criminal complaints describe her being choked, run over by the vehicle, and having her throat cut during the ordeal. Luna told the station she managed to pull the knife from her own throat and refused to let go of her attacker's hand as she fought to survive. “I was able to roll over after I got the knife out of my throat, and I wouldn't let go of his hand,” she said.
Luna was eventually dropped off on a street by Clarke County Hospital and went to the hospital for help before being transferred to a Des Moines hospital for surgery on her injuries, the station reported. The attack came after months of escalating conflict with her ex-partner, Jordan Mangum, and prosecutors say it was carried out alongside his new partner, Jessica Wheeler, as part of a scheme to pressure Luna into dropping a domestic-assault case against him.
A Relationship That Turned Violent
Luna, whose legal name is Kitara Cox, spoke to the Des Moines Register about the case. Cox and Mangum have a son.
In November 2023, Cox was able to record Mangum choking her in front of their son and leaving marks on her neck, the Register reported, which led to charges of second-offense domestic assault against him. Less than two weeks later, the paper reported, Mangum and Wheeler kidnapped Cox in an effort to pressure her into dropping that charge.
Police said Cox was held against her will for hours.
Guilty Plea, Alford Plea, and Lengthy Sentences
The case moved through the Iowa courts over the following year and a half. The Register reported that Mangum entered an Alford plea, meaning he maintained his innocence while acknowledging prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him, while Wheeler pleaded guilty to charges that included attempted murder and kidnapping.
The Register reported that Mangum was sentenced to 45 years in prison and Wheeler to 35 years.
In the aftermath of the attack, support for Cox grew within her community. KCCI reported separately that a friend created a GoFundMe to help her cover medical bills and care for her son during her recovery.
KCCI reported that Cox was focused on being with her son.
