Inset: Kathleen Galloway-Menke (KCRG). Background: Jovahn Mathis in court for shoving and killing youth group home worker Kathleen Galloway-Menke (KCCI/YouTube).
An Iowa teen is headed to prison after he "violently shoved" a youth group home worker who was trying to stop him from running into a busy street — causing her to fall and slam her head on the ground, killing the 50-year-old.
Jovahn Mathis, 18, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter after causing the death of Kathleen Galloway-Menke in May 2024, according to a Polk County Attorney's Office press release. He accepted a plea deal in May 2025 that dropped a charge of second-degree murder.
"Mr. Mathis gave a long statement apologizing to the victim's family and describing how he's worked to control his anger and impulsivity," the attorney's office said about Mathis' sentencing on Friday.
"I am sure people have doubts," Mathis told the court. "I am not the kid I used to be. The emotions don't control me anymore."
Addressing Galloway-Menke directly, Mathis said, "Kathleen, I don't know if you can hear me. I want you to know that I am truly sorry. I didn't mean for you to be hurt."
Several family members, including Galloway-Menke's mother, father, two daughters, two brothers, and sister-in-law, gave victim impact statements to the court and "asked for justice" for her, according to the attorney's office.
"It breaks my heart that someone my sister was trying to help took her life," said Galloway-Menke's brother, Paul Galloway.
The judge overseeing Mathis' case denied him probation. Mathis had been sent to adult court as a youthful offender and was locked up at the Iowa Boys State Training School in Eldora, where he was ordered to remain until his 18th birthday on Saturday, Aug. 1.
The judge ordered Mathis to pay $150,000 in restitution to Galloway-Menke's estate. He will be eligible for parole.
"We have gotten justice," said Galloway-Menke's daughter, Chloe Williamson, in a statement to local CBS affiliate KCCI after Mathis was sentenced. "We are very happy with the decision the judge has made. This is just one step, though."
Galloway-Menke's family is currently suing the youth home where she was working at the time of her death, saying it ignored warnings about Mathis' aggressive behavior.
Court records viewed by Law&Crime show that Williamson and her sister, Camille Menke, filed a lawsuit in June 2026 against the youth group home where Galloway-Menke worked, Ellipsis, in Johnston. The sisters allege that Ellipsis knew Mathis, who was 15 at the time, was dangerous and displayed "extremely violent" behavior toward Galloway-Menke and other female employees but failed to do anything about it.
"Everyone in my building and my cottage knew," Williamson told The Des Moines Register a month after she was killed. "We tried telling Ellipsis this was a problem and (the child's placement) wasn't the right fit, but we didn't have the support."
Ellipsis staff "failed to remove Mathis and other dangerous residents from the Ellipsis campus, failed to place them in a more secure or appropriate facility, failed to secure them, failed to protect the staff, including Kathleen, and failed to implement and ensure proper safeguards, procedures, and protocols to protect staff," their legal petition alleges.
"Inadequate security, chronic understaffing, malfunctioning or unavailable communication devices," and other problems ultimately enabled Mathis to exit the youth facility, the petition says.
Before killing Galloway-Menke, Mathis had walked away from the home and attempted to run into traffic, but she was able to stop him. Mathis attacked Galloway-Menke soon after.
"The employee was violently shoved, causing them to fall and strike their head on the ground," a fatality report filed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration states. "The impact resulted in a fatal blunt head injury."
The OSHA report says Galloway-Menke was following Mathis after he "eloped from the facility campus into a nearby residential area." Galloway-Menke died after suffering "an acute subdural hematoma and subarachnoid hemorrhage," the report says.
"Our hearts remain with Kathleen's family and all those affected by this loss," Ellipsis CEO Kelly Hannan told the Register in a statement when reached for comment about the pending lawsuit. "While we cannot comment on the pending litigation, we can state that we are committed to seeking a fair and just outcome in this matter while keeping our focus on the vulnerable youth and families we serve."
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