Joshua Perry, 34, has been charged with first-degree murder in the January death of Victoria Skarda, 33. Skarda and Perry shared a child and lived together in the home where Skarda was found dead on Jan. 6, according to a Tuesday press release from Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmerman Smith.
“On Jan. 6, 2025, Perry called 911 to report that a girl was passed out and cold inside his residence,” the release states, adding the victim was identified as Skarda.
Skarda’s cause of death, the release states, was cardiorespiratory arrest in the setting of a recent physical assault — allegedly inflicted by Perry on the morning of Jan. 6. Previously classified as “suspicious,” Skarda’s death has now been ruled a homicide.
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“Personnel from the Iowa City Police Department previously responded to the same address for reports of domestic altercations, including one instance on December 7, 2021, where Skarda was heard yelling that she could not breathe and ‘take your hands off my neck,’” the release states.
On Feb. 4, Perry was charged with one count of domestic abuse assault, a serious misdemeanor, and one count of child endangerment, an aggravated misdemeanor. The criminal complaints state that neighbors reported hearing a fight inside the apartment Perry and Skarda shared on Jan. 6.
The complaint states that the victim, identified as Perry’s domestic partner, sent a message to a family member saying she had been assaulted and had injuries consistent with an assault. Perry and Skarda’s minor child was present during the assault, according to the complaint.
Perry pleaded not guilty to the two charges last month but has not yet entered a plea for the first-degree murder charge. Perry’s bond has been set at $1 million, according to court documents. He is currently being held at the Linn County Jail on hold for Johnson County.
Homicides are relatively rare in Iowa City, with one reported in 2023 and two in 2022, according to the most recent data from the Iowa Department of Public Safety.