A Dickinson County Jury has found 43-year-old Kyle Lou Ricke guilty in the shooting death of Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram in September of 2023.
Judge Nancy Whittenburg read the verdict.
The jury received the case around 10:30 am Thursday (07.11) morning and deliberated for about an hour before returning the verdict against Ricke.
The trial began Monday (07.08) with jury selection, with testimony Tuesday (07.09) and Wednesday (07.10)before closing arguments. The defense did NOT dispute that Ricke shot Cram, but claimed the act was not premeditated. They did not call any witnesses on Ricke’s behalf.
The prosecution said Ricke executed Cram, who came to arrest Ricke for a misdemeanor charge of harassment from Palo Alto County. The 33-year-old Cram, a member of the Nora Springs Police Department from 2013 to 2015, was shot a total of eight times.
The trial was moved from Kossuth County to Dickinson County due to concerns by both the defense and prosecution about finding an impartial jury due to pre-trial publicity.
A sentencing date has not been set, but the mandatory sentence for first-degree murder in Iowa is life in prison without parole.
