Current:Home > ScamsAn Iowa man who failed to show up for the guilty verdict at his murder trial has been arrested-LoTradeCoin
An Iowa man who failed to show up for the guilty verdict at his murder trial has been arrested
View Date:2024-12-23 19:19:11
OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man who failed to show up for the guilty verdict at his murder trial has been found and taken into custody, state officials announced Saturday.
In a brief statement, the Iowa Department of Public Safety thanked everyone who provided information that led to the arrest of Gregory Showalter Sr. of Ottumwa and said more details would be released later. The statement did not provide any additional information about Showalter’s arrest or how or where authorities found him.
A judge issued an arrest warrant for Showalter after he missed the reading of the jury verdict on Friday, according to the Ottumwa Courier. He was convicted of killing his wife, 60-year-old Helen Showalter.
Showalter, 63, had been out on bail since August 2021, when a judge allowed him to post 10% of his $250,000 bond as long as he attended court hearings and wore a GPS monitor.
Prosecutors argued that Showalter strangled his wife on July 31, 2021, then dumped her body along the Des Moines River near Ottumwa. Her body was found floating in the river the next morning. Defense attorney Robert Breckenridge argued that state’s investigation relied on assumptions and that some evidence was not tested.
Jurors reached a verdict just after 1 p.m. Friday and Showalter’s lawyer said he called his client and told him to come to the Wapello County Courthouse. When Showalter didn’t arrive, his attorney contacted the judge as well as officers, who checked his home.
While police searched for Showalter, the judge ordered that the verdict be read, citing Iowa court rules in cases where a person on trial is voluntarily absent.
Ottumwa Police Lt. Jason Bell said when police went to Showalter’s home, a friend who was outside said Showalter had given her keys to his vehicle “and made a comment about not needing those keys anymore.” The woman said she thought he was going to walk to the courthouse and didn’t know where he had gone.
Police said Showalter’s cellphone had been turned off about 1:30 p.m. and that he had cut off his GPS monitor.
Showalter’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 16. In Iowa, first-degree murder carries a mandatory term of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
veryGood! (3795)
Related
- Denzel Washington Will Star in Black Panther 3 Before Retirement
- Who should be the Lakers' next coach? Ty Lue among leading candidates
- Deadly news helicopter crash likely caused by shaky inspections, leading to loose parts, feds say
- Alaska judge grants limited stay in correspondence school allotments decision
- College Football Playoff bracket: Complete playoff picture after latest rankings
- North Carolina candidate for Congress suspends campaign days before primary runoff after Trump weighs in
- Maui suing cellphone carriers over alerts it says people never got about deadly wildfires
- Indiana Fever move WNBA preseason home game to accommodate Pacers' playoff schedule
- Jennifer Lopez Gets Loud in Her First Onstage Appearance Amid Ben Affleck Divorce
- 'Loaded or unloaded?' 14-year-old boy charged in fatal shooting of 12-year-old girl in Pennsylvania
Ranking
- 2 credit unions in Mississippi and Louisiana are planning to merge
- New Hampshire moves to tighten rules on name changes for violent felons
- Pregnant Francesca Farago Shares Peek at Jesse Sullivan’s & Her Twins
- 'Tattooist of Auschwitz': The 'implausible' true love story behind the Holocaust TV drama
- As CFP rankings punish SEC teams, do we smell bias against this proud and mighty league?
- Fundraiser celebrating fraternities that guarded American flag during protest raises $500K
- You Won't Be Able to Unsee Ryan Gosling's La La Land Confession
- Breaking Down Selling the OC's Feuds: Why Alex Hall and Kayla Cardona Are Not on Speaking Terms
Recommendation
-
Deion Sanders doubles down on vow to 99-year-old Colorado superfan
-
Southern California city detects localized tuberculosis outbreak
-
What to watch and listen to this weekend from Ryan Gosling's 'Fall Guy' to new Dua Lipa
-
Britney Spears' divorce nears an end 8 months after Sam Asghari filed to dissolve marriage
-
See Chris Evans' Wife Alba Baptista Show Her Sweet Support at Red One Premiere
-
United Methodist delegates repeal their church’s ban on its clergy celebrating same-sex marriages
-
After top betting choices Fierceness and Sierra Leone, it’s wide open for the 150th Kentucky Derby
-
Ex-government employee charged with falsely accusing co-workers of joining Capitol riot