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Patrie trial on first-degree murder charge set to begin Monday

Former Charles City man accused of 2012 killing of retired grocer in rural Nashua

By Bob Fenske, editor@nhtrib.com

A former Charles City man accused of killing a retired grocer in rural Nashua in the fall of 2012 is expected to begin trial this coming Monday.

The first-degree murder trial of Randy Patrie is scheduled to begin with jury selection at 9 a.m. in the Chickasaw County Courthouse’s third-floor courtroom, with District Court Judge Richard D. Stochl overseeing the proceedings.

Patrie trial on first-degree murder charge set to begin Monday
Randy Patrie, 2015 photo

Patrie allegedly shot and killed 70-year-old Kenneth Gallmeyer, whose body was found in Gallmeyer’s home north of Nashua when Chickasaw County deputies were called to do a welfare check. Although authorities long believed Patrie was responsible for Gallmeyer’s death, he wasn’t charged until early 2022.

Chickasaw County Attorney David Laudner and Frank Severino Jr. of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office will present the case against Patrie, who is represented by Steven J. Drahozal and Theresa Sampson Brown, attorneys from Dubuque.

Laudner said this past Monday that the trial could last up to two weeks and said that a lot of work has gone into being ready to take the case to court.

“Preparing the case for trial has required a team effort and an all-hands-on-deck-approach, as there was a large amount of data to sort through given many of us were not involved with the initial investigation as well as the general logistical challenges of arranging both evidence and witnesses for trial after so much time has passed,” he said.

“I’m grateful for all of the hard work of people from my office, the Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office in our joint pursuit of justice for the Gallmeyer family.”

Patrie’s trial was originally set for December 2022 but was pushed back to October 2023, only to be continued again at the request of both parties.

In early 2022, Chickasaw County authorities applied and received an arrest warrant, and Patrie was returned to Iowa from a federal prison in New Jersey. He has been held in the Fayette County Jail since.

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