Jerome and Carolyn Mauderly were asleep at home in Bedford, Iowa when an armed criminal broke into their house and held the elderly couple hostage. The criminal was Rodney Eugene Long, a convicted felon and escaped inmate from the nearby Clarinda Correctional Facility, who police believe shot a Taylor County Sheriff’s Deputy a day earlier, and who was the subject of an extensive manhunt. After being held captive for four hours, Jerome took an opportunity to retrieve a shotgun kept in the home. After getting hold of the shotgun, Jerome shot and killed Long.
As an escaped prisoner, Long made a terrible choice of victims; Jerome Mauderly is a retired prison guard. However, Long might not have had much luck choosing another household to victimize in Bedford, as a pair of waitresses interviewed at the local Junction Café during the manhunt explained to a reporter that their loved ones were aware of the fugitive, armed, and prepared for the worst. (The Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa 08/20/13)