OTTUMWA, Iowa — Police have been trying to find an Iowa man who failed to point out up First degree murder trial Friday, the day a jury convicted him of murdering his spouse.
A choose issued an arrest warrant for Gregory Showalter Sr. of Ottumwa after he missed studying the jury’s verdict, based on the Each day Mail. Ottumwa courier.
Showalter, 63, has been free on bail since August 2021, when a choose allowed him to put up 10% of his $250,000 bond so long as he attended court docket hearings and wore a GPS monitoring system. He had been charged with first-degree homicide and different crimes within the strangulation loss of life of his 60-year-old spouse, Helen Showalter.
Prosecutors stated Showalter killed his spouse on July 31, 2021, then dumped her physique alongside the Des Moines River close to Ottumwa. Her physique was discovered floating within the river the following morning.
Jurors reached a verdict simply after 1 p.m. Friday afternoon, and Showalter’s lawyer stated he known as his consumer and requested him to come back to Wapello District Courtroom. When Showalter didn’t arrive, his lawyer known as the choose in addition to the officers who searched his house.
As police looked for Showalter, the choose ordered the decision to be learn, citing Iowa state court docket guidelines in circumstances the place the individual on trial is voluntarily absent. The jury discovered Showalter responsible of first-degree homicide, abuse of a corpse, willful harm inflicting severe harm, and home violence assault by strangulation or obstruction of circulation.
The choose additionally revoked Showalter’s bail.
When police went to Showalter’s house, they discovered a girl outdoors who stated she was his girlfriend, Ottumwa Police Lt. Jason Bell stated. She stated Showalter gave her his automotive keys “and made a remark about not needing these keys anymore.”
She thought he was going to stroll into the courtroom and she or he did not know the place he went.
Police tried to find him by discovering his cell phone, however the cellphone firm stated it had been turned off at round 1:30pm on Friday.
After the listening to, Bell stated police decided Showalter had reduce off his GPS monitoring system.
He’s thought-about armed and harmful, based on the Iowa Division of Public Security.
The choose set the sentencing listening to for October 16. In Iowa, first-degree homicide carries a penalty of life in jail with out the potential of parole.