Charles City man’s trial for murder of Nashua man likely delayed

By Bob Fenske, editor@nhtrib.com

The trial of a Charles City man accused of murdering a retired grocer in rural Nashua 10 years ago could be months away after a district court judge granted a defense motion asking for a continuance.

Randy Patrie, age 40, has been charged with the killing of Kenneth Gallmeyer in September 2012, and his first-degree murder trial had been scheduled to begin in Chickasaw County District Court on Jan. 25.

But earlier this month, Patrie’s attorney, assistant public defender Steven Drahozal, asked for a continuance.

In his filing, Drahozal told the court that the defense was continuing to review information provided by prosecutors and that he had communicated with prosecutors and was told his motion for a continuance would not be contested.

He also wrote that “based on counsel’s schedule, it is believed that the trial date will need to be after August 2023.”

Drahozal also said his client has waived his right to be tried within one year of his arraignment.

District Court Judge Richard Stochl granted the continuance and scheduled a hearing on Jan. 17, when a new trial date will be set.

Patrie had long been considered the chief suspect in the murder of Gallmeyer, whose body was discovered by Chickasaw County sheriff’s deputies when they were called to do a welfare check on Gallmeyer at his home north of Nashua on Oct. 4, 2012.

In June 2014, Patrie was sentenced to life in prison in federal court after he pleaded guilty to possession of firearms by a felon as an armed career criminal and possession of sawed-off shotguns, but that sentence was later overturned and Patrie was re-sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

At that point Chickasaw County started pursuing the murder charge.

Gallmeyer was a 70-year-old retired grocer who had moved to rural Nashua after selling his store in Clarksville.

In a complaint and affidavit filed in federal court, law enforcement authorities said they discovered that Gallmeyer had suffered a gunshot wound to the head and that numerous items — including several firearms and a Samsung 40-inch flat-screen TV, had been taken from his home.

The affidavit went on to say that on Oct. 4, 2013, the Charles City Police Department executed a search warrant at Patrie’s residence in Charles City and allegedly found several items that had been taken from Gallmeyer’s home. They included three firearms, one of which, according to the affidavit was “consistent with the firearm used to kill” Gallmeyer.

An additional search warrant was then executed by the Sheriff’s Office and the DCI at Patrie’s home, and additional times belonging to Gallmeyer were located and seized. During the second search, officers discovered a Samsung 40-inch flatscreen TV mounted on the wall of Patrie’s bedroom.

Patrie was moved from a federal prison in New Jersey to Iowa in March, and he is currently being housed at the Fayette County Jail in West Union.