Northeast Iowa Man Accused of Killing Wife Denied Again for Change of Venue
A northeast Iowa man, accused of killing his wife, has again been denied in his request a change of venue for his trial.
41-year-old Brandon Kasemeier is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his estranged wife, Jami Kasemeier, who was found dead inside their Waukon home on January 22, 2024. Waukon Police also allegedly recovered an empty handgun case and several fired .22 caliber cartridge casings inside the house.
It’s believed Jami Kasemeier was killed on January 21, 2024, the last day family members say they heard from her. Two days later,, Brandon Kasemeier was arrested some 900 miles away in Loveland, Colorado, where Larimer County Sheriff’s deputies allegedly found a .22 (caliber) revolver in his car.
In December, Kasemeier filed for a change of venue citing extensive pretrial media publicity and the small population of Allamakee County making it impossible for him to receive a fair trial in Waukon. The State resisted and his request was denied by District Judge Alan Heavens in early January.
On April 18th, Kasemeier again filed a motion for a change of venue, again citing pretrial publicity hampering a fair trial, but also adding that results from his private investigator’s survey of the November 2024 jury pool provided new information in support of the trial being moved.
The State filed its resistance, noting the investigator contacted 38 people, with eight people (21%) sharing a belief Kasemeier is guilty, but 79% had not formed an opinion. Prosecutors also assert that Kasemeier is not denying he killed his wife, but claims he was intoxicated and unable to form the intent to kill her.
Friday (05.02), Judge Heavens denied Kasemeier’s latest attempt for a change of venue for his trial, still scheduled to begin May 20th in Allamakee County District Court.
Kasemeier remains held in jail without bond.
