Monday (05.20) will mark some 4,255 days since a Nashua man was killed and the former Charles City man accused of his murder goes to trial.
51-year-old Randy Patrie is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 70-year-old Kenneth Gallmeyer of Nashua, on or about September 25, 2012. An investigation by the Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Office, Charles City Police and Iowa DCI led to a search of Patrie’s Charles City home in July 2013, with several items owned by Gallmeyer allegedly found inside the residence, including the gun believed used to kill him.
Chickasaw County Attorney David Laudner says trying a murder case 11-and-a-half years later has taken a lot of legwork, including coordinating the case with the state Attorney General’s office.
With the length of time between the alleged crime and the trial, some might think this is a “cold case.”
Before officials could proceed with their case, Patrie was sentenced in 2014 to life in federal prison on felony firearms charges and for being a career criminal. But in 2018, he was resentenced to 20 years in federal prison and prosecutions efforts resumed in Chickasaw County.
Patrie’s trial got underway Monday (05.20) morning in Chickasaw County District Court in New Hampton.
Patrie has pleaded not guilty and has been held in the Fayette County Jail in West Union since being returned to northeast Iowa for prosecution in January 2022.
