A retired University of Iowa music professor has been indicted in federal court on charges of distributing methamphetamine that resulted in a death and of possessing child pornography.
John Robert Muriello, 65, of Iowa City, is accused of buying drugs from a supplier in California and of having 12,000 photos and 3,183 videos on his electronic devices, many of them of minor boys, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in June.
Muriello was indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute meth that resulted in serious bodily injury or death and one count of possession of child pornography.
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He is being held without bond in the Muscatine County Jail. His trial is set for Dec. 5 in Davenport.
Muriello is listed on the university’s website as an emeritus professor of voice and opera. The university placed Muriello on leave in May 2021 and he retired this year on July 1, Jeneane Beck, spokesperson for UI, said in an email late Tuesday.
Emeritus status for retirees is automatic when a faculty member retires after serving a significant period of time, according to university policy. Beck said the university may revoke emeritus status at any time for good cause. Conviction of a federal crime would be considered good cause, she said.
On May 12, 2021, Eric Johnathan Hojka, 49 — who was convicted in May for drug conspiracy resulting in death — called 911 to report a unconscious person, “TS,” who died after being taken to a hospital.
An autopsy, which found a “recent minute needle puncture mark,” found the victim had died of meth intoxication, according to court documents.
During the investigation, authorities found Hojka “regularly” used meth and had obtained it from Muriello. The meth then went to the victim, who injected it and died, the affidavit stated.
The investigation found Hojka and Muriello had obtained ice meth — an ounce or more at a time — on multiple occasions through mailings from the California supplier. Both Muriello and Hojka communicated with the supplier by phone and Zoom.
In July 2021, the California supplier was investigated in an unrelated matter, and authorities learned the supplier was mailing packages of the drug to Muriello, and some to Hojka, beginning in 2020, according to the affidavit.
Evidence was recovered from Hojka’s cellphone of drug-related contacts with the supplier up until May of last year — just before TS died.
Iowa City police obtained a search warrant May 28, 2021, for Muriello’s home and seized numerous laptops, cellphones, external computer storage devices and three separate packages containing meth, according to court documents.
An external hard drive that was found in Muriello’s home office was password protected. But when investigators opened it, they found 18,580 photos and 3,183 videos. Nearly all were pornographic and about 12,000 files depicted minor boys.
Investigators also noted additional evidence was found on Muriello’s laptop with one user account named “John Muriello” and another under “Billybigelow” — a character from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Carousel.”
Muriello also had Skype accounts on the laptop under his name and other names, according to the affidavit. The chats recovered were associated with drug use and distribution of child pornography.
Two months ago, in June, investigators interviewed a “cooperating defendant” who lived in the Iowa City, knew Muriello as a professor of music and identified him from a photo.
The cooperating defendant said he knew Muriello as someone who distributed meth and child pornography, according to court documents. The defendant said Muriello told him he bought meth from California and that he had provided some to a guy named “Eric” — Hojka — who gave it to a man visiting from Las Vegas — TS — who overdosed and died, investigators stated.
Authorities also received information about Muriello’s illegal activities in April 2020, according to a search warrant filed in Johnson County District Court. The university received an anonymous email from someone who identified as a parent of a freshman and said he attended a party hosted by Muriello in his home.
Muriello provided meth and gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) — known as “date rape” sedative — to partygoers to have sex with them, according to the affidavit. The parent also said Muriello recorded sex acts with younger adult and teen partygoers and possessed an “extensive” child pornography collection on multiple devices in his home.
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John Robert Muriello, 65, of Iowa City, is accused of buying drugs from a supplier in California and of having 12,000 photos and 3,183 videos on his electronic devices, many of them of minor boys, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in June.
Muriello was indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute meth that resulted in serious bodily injury or death and one count of possession of child pornography.
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He is being held without bond in the Muscatine County Jail. His trial is set for Dec. 5 in Davenport.
Muriello is listed on the university’s website as an emeritus professor of voice and opera. The university placed Muriello on leave in May 2021 and he retired this year on July 1, Jeneane Beck, spokesperson for UI, said in an email late Tuesday.
Emeritus status for retirees is automatic when a faculty member retires after serving a significant period of time, according to university policy. Beck said the university may revoke emeritus status at any time for good cause. Conviction of a federal crime would be considered good cause, she said.
On May 12, 2021, Eric Johnathan Hojka, 49 — who was convicted in May for drug conspiracy resulting in death — called 911 to report a unconscious person, “TS,” who died after being taken to a hospital.
An autopsy, which found a “recent minute needle puncture mark,” found the victim had died of meth intoxication, according to court documents.
During the investigation, authorities found Hojka “regularly” used meth and had obtained it from Muriello. The meth then went to the victim, who injected it and died, the affidavit stated.
The investigation found Hojka and Muriello had obtained ice meth — an ounce or more at a time — on multiple occasions through mailings from the California supplier. Both Muriello and Hojka communicated with the supplier by phone and Zoom.
In July 2021, the California supplier was investigated in an unrelated matter, and authorities learned the supplier was mailing packages of the drug to Muriello, and some to Hojka, beginning in 2020, according to the affidavit.
Evidence was recovered from Hojka’s cellphone of drug-related contacts with the supplier up until May of last year — just before TS died.
Videos, photos
Iowa City police obtained a search warrant May 28, 2021, for Muriello’s home and seized numerous laptops, cellphones, external computer storage devices and three separate packages containing meth, according to court documents.
An external hard drive that was found in Muriello’s home office was password protected. But when investigators opened it, they found 18,580 photos and 3,183 videos. Nearly all were pornographic and about 12,000 files depicted minor boys.
Investigators also noted additional evidence was found on Muriello’s laptop with one user account named “John Muriello” and another under “Billybigelow” — a character from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Carousel.”
Muriello also had Skype accounts on the laptop under his name and other names, according to the affidavit. The chats recovered were associated with drug use and distribution of child pornography.
Two months ago, in June, investigators interviewed a “cooperating defendant” who lived in the Iowa City, knew Muriello as a professor of music and identified him from a photo.
The cooperating defendant said he knew Muriello as someone who distributed meth and child pornography, according to court documents. The defendant said Muriello told him he bought meth from California and that he had provided some to a guy named “Eric” — Hojka — who gave it to a man visiting from Las Vegas — TS — who overdosed and died, investigators stated.
Anonymous email
Authorities also received information about Muriello’s illegal activities in April 2020, according to a search warrant filed in Johnson County District Court. The university received an anonymous email from someone who identified as a parent of a freshman and said he attended a party hosted by Muriello in his home.
Muriello provided meth and gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) — known as “date rape” sedative — to partygoers to have sex with them, according to the affidavit. The parent also said Muriello recorded sex acts with younger adult and teen partygoers and possessed an “extensive” child pornography collection on multiple devices in his home.
Retired UI music professor faces meth, child porn charges
A retired University of Iowa music professor has been indicted in federal court on charges of distributing methamphetamine that resulted in a death and of possessing child pornography.
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