carl-kenny-gallmeyerCourtesy Redman-Schwartz Funeral Home
Carl Kenneth “Kenny” Gallmeyer

Carl Kenneth Gallmeyer

Homicide — SOLVED

Carl Kenneth “Ken” Gallmeyer
70 YOA
1091 240th Street
Nashua, IA
Chickasaw County
Est. Date of Death: Sept. 25–26, 2012
Investigating Agency: Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Office
Body Found: Oct. 4, 2012
Arrest Made: January 2022
Defendant: Randy Lee Patrie

 

 

UPDATE

Investigators with the Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Office in January 2022 filed a charge of first-degree murder against 49-year-old Randy Lee Patrie, who had long been suspected in the shotgun slaying of Carl “Ken” Gallmeyer, 70.

When the murder charge was filed, Patrie was serving prison time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, N.J., for possessing stolen guns.

Randy Patrie

Authorities found Gallmeyer’s body buried under books and debris in his rural Nashua home in October 2012 after neighbors noticed he hadn’t been collecting his mail, The Courier’s Jeff Reinitz wrote in a story published March 31, 2022, and updated April 14, 2022. An autopsy determined Gallmeyer died of a shotgun wound to the head, possibly as he slept, and investigators noted the residence had been ransacked with several items missing.

A break in the case came in July 2013 when Patrie was seen carrying away items from a Charles City home.

Investigators searched his home and found Gallmeyer’s missing 40-inch Samsung TV mounted on the wall of Patrie’s bedroom. Tools and three of Gallmeyer’s guns were also located at the home, along with a sawed-off .410 Mossberg shotgun that authorities said they believe was the murder weapon. Read The Courier’s full story.

Arraignment was set for Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at which time Patrie pleaded not guilty.

The Courier’s Police and Courts Reporter Jeff Reinitz has actively been tracking developments in the case. Visit wcfcourier.com for more information.


PREVIOUS UPDATES:

Court Overturns Life Sentence Given to Charles City Man

October 18, 2016

From ABC KAALTV.com / The Associated Press

NASHUA, Iowa (AP) – An appeals court has overturned the life sentence given to a Charles City man suspected of killing a retired Clarksville grocer but convicted of weapon-related charges.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the Eighth District U.S. Court of Appeals ordered Friday that Randy Patrie be resentenced.

Randy PatrieRandy Patrie

Patrie was suspected in the 2012 death of Carl “Ken” Gallmeyer, who was found dead in a rural Nashua home.

Investigators later found guns, tools and a TV owned by Gallmeyer in Patrie’s home.

Federal prosecutors charged Patrie with weapons crimes because his criminal record prohibited him from handling firearms. In 2014, Judge Linda Reade sentenced him to life because of his prior convictions.

Patrie challenged the sentence, and his argument was aided by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling dealing with Iowa’s burglary laws.


Case Summary compiled by Jody Ewing

On Thursday, October 4, 2012, the Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Office received a request for a welfare check at 1091 240th Street in Nashua, Iowa. Upon arrival at the residence, investigators found the body of 70-year-old Carl “Ken” Gallmeyer.

Gallmeyer, who lived on a remote, wooded property about five miles north of Nashua, had not been heard from for a period of time prior to the discovery of his body.

Chickasaw County in Iowa
Chickasaw County in Iowa
 
Nashua in Chickasaw CountyNashua in Chickasaw County

According to the sheriff’s office, a friend noticed Gallmeyer’s full mailbox along the rural gravel road and reported his concerns to the sheriff’s office shortly before 3 p.m.

Chickasaw County deputy Reed Palo responded and discovered Gallmeyer’s body. Palo said the mail had collected “a couple of days.”

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is assisting in the investigation.

The State Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Gallmeyer’s death a homicide, though officials declined to release cause of death in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation. During the investigation, officers learned that Gallmeyer’s residence was burglarized at the time of the homicide, with several items stolen.

According to a WCF Courier article published October 10, 2012, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant Monday at Gallmeyer’s home, outbuildings and vehicles in rural Nashua. And on Tuesday, Oct. 9, Deputy Palo confirmed a criminal investigation was underway.

Though Palo declined to reveal specifics about what officers were looking for or what potential evidence was collected, Palo told the Courier “Items have been taken from the house.”

The Courier also stated that according to an Iowa Court of Appeals ruling, Gallmeyer reportedly kept as much as $100,000 in cash in a safe in his home. In October 2006, Gallmeyer discovered $29,000 was missing.

Gallmeyer had owned Poppe’s Grocery & Lunch in Clarksville from 1973 to 2005, at which time he sold the business, married for a second time and moved about 20 miles away to Nashua.

On Tuesday, October 9, Judge Richard Stochl sealed a court file containing information about the search warrant and the items taken as potential evidence. The following day, County Attorney Pat Wegman checked out other files related to Gallmeyer from the clerk of court’s office. Among the files was a civil action Gallmeyer initiated in September 2008. The case concluded in May 2009. (WCF Courier, Oct. 11, 2012)

Law Enforcement Seek Information

On March 6, 2013, the Iowa DCI announced in a press release they were requesting assistance from the public in Gallmeyer’s death investigation. Officials stated in the release:

If you think you have unknowingly purchased or received stolen property belonging to Gallmeyer please contact law enforcement. Additionally, if you know of someone who tried selling electronic items, tools, or firearms in late September through early October, 2012, this information should also be reported. At this time law enforcement is solely concerned with the murder investigation. Persons providing information regarding the property in question will not face prosecution for receiving or purchasing the stolen property.

Anyone with information was asked to contact one of the following agencies:


CASE UPDATES

Sheriff calls Patrie a suspect in Gallmeyer slaying

January 15, 2014

By Jeff Reinitz | The WCF Courier

NASHUA | The Chickasaw County sheriff has confirmed authorities are investigating Randy Lee Patrie in connection with the 2012 slaying of a retired grocer.

Sheriff Todd Miller called Patrie — a 41-year-old convicted burglar awaiting sentencing on federal gun charges — a “viable suspect” in the death of Carl “Ken” Gallmeyer, 70.

Randy Lee Patrie (Courtesy The WCF Courier)

Randy Lee Patrie (Courtesy The WCF Courier)

The announcement came Wednesday morning, hours after The Courier posted a report showing federal prosecutors suspected Patrie in an unsolved 2012 death that was likely Gallmeyer’s murder.

Patrie hasn’t been charged in Gallmeyer’s death, but Miller said his office and other agencies — including the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Northern Iowa, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Charles City Police and Floyd County Sheriff’s Office — continue to investigate the crime.

“The investigation into Randy Lee Patrie for the death of Ken Gallmeyer is continuing with no further information being released at this time,” Miller said.

In a government sentencing memo, where prosecutors are pushing to designate Patrie as an “armed career criminal” for harsher punishment for the firearms charge, authorities said Patrie killed a person identified by the initials “K.G.” during a burglary to steal guns and other items.

Miller’s statements on Wednesday solidified the identification of K.G. as Ken Gallmeyer.

“The government believes the evidence will show defendant (Patrie) burglarized K.G.’s home on September 25 or 26, 2012. The evidence will show defendant killed K.G. in his bed using a .410 gauge shotgun,” the sentencing memo reads.

It goes on to state Patrie took the .410 shotgun and two other guns from Gallmeyer’s home, and investigators found the murder weapon while searching Patrie’s attic in connection with a burglary investigation.

At sentencing, the government plans to show photos pictures Gallmeyer had taken of his firearms and offer the .410 as evidence. A firearms expert from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is expected to testify.

Prosecutors will also show photographs of Gallmeyer’s tools that were stolen, and a Gallmeyer relative is slated to take the stand and testify as a witness, according to court records.

Gallmeyer’s body was found inside his home Oct. 4, 2012, after a friend noticed his mail had been piling up.

Gallmeyer’s death isn’t the first murder investigation Patrie has been involved with. In 2005, he was questioned in the disappearance and slaying of 5-year-old Evelyn Miller.

According to Courier archives, Patrie was one of the last people to see Evelyn alive at her Floyd apartment. Patrie and Daniel Slick had visited Casey Frederiksen, who was the boyfriend of the girl’s mother. The two told police Evelyn answered the door when they arrived around 2 a.m. on July 1, and she was fine when the left.

She disappeared later that day, and her body was found five days later in the Cedar River. Frederiksen is charged with murder in her death and is awaiting trial.

Read the full story at the WCF Courier

Copyright 2014 Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. All rights reserved.

Judge links Patrie to slaying, sentencing to continue next week

June 12, 2014

By Jeff Reinitz | The WCF Courier

NASHUA | A federal judge has ruled there is evidence to conclude a Charles City burglar was involved in the slaying of a retired Nashua grocer.

Randy Lee Patrie, 41, is awaiting sentencing on federal gun charges, and prosecutors argue he should face life in prison as an armed career criminal because of his role in the death of 70-year-old Carl “Kenneth” Gallmeyer during a burglary to Gallmeyer’s rural Nashua home in 2012.

In a 62-page order that was issued on Thursday, Judge Linda Reade agreed.

“The court finds, by a preponderance of the evidence, that defendant used a firearm, that is a .410 gauge sawed-off shotgun, in connection with another offense, that is, burglary, and the death of Mr. Gallmeyer resulted from the Defendant’s commission of burglary,” Reade wrote in her ruling.

firearms-ken-gallmeyer-randy-patrie-wcfcourierCourtesy WCF Courier
Investigators used this and other photos that Carl “Kenneth” Gallmeyer had taken of his firearms while investigating his death and the burglary to his home in September 2012. Models and serial numbers were listed written on the back of the pictures, and authorities were able to match them to guns found in Randy Patrie’s home in July 2013.

Patrie hasn’t been charged with murder in Gallmeyer’s death, but investigators found guns stolen during the fatal burglary after searching Patrie’s home in July 2013, and Gallmeyer’s stolen TV was mounted on the wall of Patrie’s bedroom. They also discovered a sawed-off .410 gauge shotgun.

Sentencing for Patrie began Feb. 6, but it was put on hold after a day of testimony and arguments that Reade should consider a number of issues, including Patrie’s alleged link to the homicide.

On Thursday, Reade said she would consider Gallmeyer’s death in deciding Patrie’s punishment, meaning he is eligible for a life sentence. Sentencing for Patrie is slated to continue next week in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids.

Federal sentencing guidelines take into consideration a number of factors, including elements of the crime and a defendant’s prior criminal history, to calculate a range of years.

Reade wrote the evidence surrounding the slaying points to first-degree murder, with Patrie killing Gallmeyer so he could ransack the house in search of a safe that wasn’t there.

In her ruling, Reade said calculated Patrie’s numbers to reach the top of the sentencing guidelines. She then outlined alternative calculations that, in the event a future appeals court disagrees with her first conclusion, would again place Patrie at the top.

sawed-off-410-shotgun-gallmeyer-patrie-wcfcourierCourtesy WCF Courier
Experts with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation compared a sawed-off .410-bore shotgun found in a cabinet at Randy Patrie’s home to a spent .410 shot wad found at the scene of Carl “Kenneth” Gallmeyer’s slaying. The tests were inconclusive.

“Defendant is an unrepentant recidivist who has committed multiple crimes of violence and who armed himself in violation of federal and state laws prohibiting felons from possessing firearms and ammunition. Prior lenient treatment by state courts has not brought about any changes in his behavior and, in fact, Defendant’s criminal behavior is escalating,” Reade wrote in her order.

She agreed with the government that Patrie’s sentence should be enhanced for obstruction of justice because he misled investigators when asked where he obtained Gallmeyer’s guns, and she said Patrie didn’t warrant credit for accepting responsibility.

According to testimony by agents with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation during the February hearing, Patrie’s wife told investigators she heard Patrie and his uncle, Dennis Hamm, talking about Gallmeyer months before the slaying.

Hamm testified he told Patrie where Gallmeyer lived and that he was rumored to keep thousands of dollars at the house. Patrie later told Hamm he approached the house and knocked in the door after claiming he ran out of gas or had a flat tire, apparently in an effort to scout out the location.

Gallmeyer’s body was found Oct. 4, 2012, and investigators believe he was killed in his bed days earlier, sometime around Sept. 25 or 26, 2012.

Patrie’s wife testified Patrie didn’t come to bed the night of Sept. 25, and she noticed his car was gone. She said he returned the morning of Sept. 26 and was seen moving boxes from his vehicle.

When word of Gallmeyer’s death was announced on the news, Patrie turned white, swallowed hard and left the room, the wife said.

Copyright 2014 Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. All rights reserved.


Patrie Sentenced to Life, Not Yet Charged in Gallmeyer Murder

Published June 19, 2014

By KIMT Staff

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – A north Iowa man received a sentence of life in prison on weapons charges, and in connection to an unsolved murder for which he hasn’t been charged.

Randy Lee Patrie, 41, pleaded guilty to federal charges of possession of firearms by a felon as an armed career criminal, and possession of sawed-off shotguns after guns were stolen from several north Iowa locations.

During the investigation, prosecutors determined evidence showed Patrie was also responsible for the murder of retired Nashua grocer Carl “Kenneth” Gallmeyer, 70, in 2012. Gallmeyer was found dead in his home in early October, 2012.

Randy Lee Patrie (Courtesy The WCF Courier)

Randy Lee Patrie (Courtesy The WCF Courier)

After those details were revealed in court documents, the Chickasaw County Sheriff named Patrie a “viable suspect,” but he has not been charged in Gallmeyer’s death. Still, prosecutors argued that the evidence should be considered by the federal judge when deciding how much time Patrie should spend in prison on the weapons charges. Late last week, Judge Linda Reade issued a ruling stating the evidence in Gallmeyer’s death would be considered when determining if Patrie should be given the status of Armed Career Criminal. The Court found that Patrie qualified as an Armed Career Criminal, which carries a mandatory minimum of fifteen years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

A sentencing hearing was held today in federal court, and Patrie received a sentence of life in prison.

Chickasaw County authorities say the investigation continues into Gallmeyer’s death.

The following is a statement from the United States Attorney’s Office:

Evidence presented at a sentencing hearing in February 2014 showed that, in October 2012, Patrie burglarized the home of Ken Gallmeyer, located outside Nashua, Iowa. Finding Gallmeyer asleep in his bed, Patrie shot Gallmeyer in the head with a sawed-off .410 gauge shotgun. Patrie then ransacked the house in search of a large amount of cash Gallmeyer was rumored to have had in his house. In July 2013, a Charles City Police Officer arrested Patrie for burglarizing his step-mother’s house. In a search of Patrie’s house, officers found three firearms stolen from Gallmeyer, along with Gallmeyer’s large screen television and other property belonging to Gallmeyer. Patrie was also found in possession of approximately 32 firearms, two of which had been stolen in March 2013 during a burglary of another residence near Gallmeyer’s house, and 22 of which had been stolen in May 2013 during a burglary of the Gilbert’s Sales Yard in Floyd, Iowa. Among the firearms recovered from Patrie’s house was a .410 gauge sawed-off shotgun believed to have been the weapon Patrie used to murder Ken Gallmeyer.

Copyright 2014 KIMT.com. All rights reserved.


Court Overturns Life Sentence Given to Charles City Man

October 18, 2016

ABC KAATV.com

NASHUA, Iowa (AP) – An appeals court has overturned the life sentence given to a Charles City man suspected of killing a retired Clarksville grocer but convicted of weapon-related charges.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the Eighth District U.S. Court of Appeals ordered Friday that Randy Patrie be resentenced.

Patrie was suspected in the 2012 death of Carl “Ken” Gallmeyer, who was found dead in a rural Nashua home.

Investigators later found guns, tools and a TV owned by Gallmeyer in Patrie’s home.

Federal prosecutors charged Patrie with weapons crimes because his criminal record prohibited him from handling firearms. In 2014, Judge Linda Reade sentenced him to life because of his prior convictions.

Patrie challenged the sentence, and his argument was aided by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling dealing with Iowa’s burglary laws.


About Ken Gallmeyer

Carl Kenneth “Ken” Gallmeyer, age 70 of Nashua, Iowa, formerly of Clarksville, Iowa was born the son of Carl and Helen (Ressler) Gallmeyer on February 7, 1942 in Waverly, Iowa. He received his education and graduated from Clarksville High School.

carl-gallmeyerCourtesy WCF Courier
Carl “Kenny” Gallmeyer was active within the Clarksville community, loved animals, and pursued an interest in genealogy and Butler County history.

He volunteered to serve in the Army Security Agency from 1962 to 1965, serving most of the time in Ethiopia. In 1965, Ken returned to Clarksville to work for Harvey and Lavon Poppe at Poppe’s Grocery and Lunch.

In 1969, Ken married Carol Becker. To this union three children were born. The couple was later divorced. In 1973, Ken bought Poppe’s Grocery and Lunch, which he operated until 2005. In May of 2005, Ken married Judy Huffman and lived four miles north of Nashua. They were later divorced.

Ken enjoyed the outdoors and going to sprint car races. Ken loved to feed and watch the wild animals and the birds. He had a special place in his heart for pets including his dog Belle and several cats who adopted him over the years. Ken will be remembered by many for his infectious smile, sense of humor and that special laugh that always let you know Ken was nearby. His generous spirit will be greatly missed.

Ken was a member of Immanuel United Church of Christ in Clarksville. He was also a lifetime member of the Clarksville AMVET’s, serving as Post Commander for one year and as Post Adjutant for several years. Ken was also a member of the Clarksville Commercial Club and served two years as their president.

Ken was found deceased in his home near Nashua on Thursday, October 4, 2012. His estimated date of death is sometime between September 25–26, 2012.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Claire “Chuck” Gallmeyer; two sisters, Doris Gallmeyer and Ruth Adelmund.

gallmeyer-gravestone
Courtesy photo ‘Hooked on Family’ at findagrave.com
Carl “Ken” Gallmeyer is buried at the Lynwood Cemetery in Clarksville.

Ken is survived by his three children, Mardell “Mardy” (Cyrus) Hornsby of Clearwater, Florida, Naomi (Rick Hronik) Gallmeyer of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Seth (Carol) Gallmeyer of Topeka, Kansas; two brothers, Lee (Nedra) Gallmeyer of Hazelton, Iowa and Galen (Kathy) Gallmeyer of Clarksville; four sisters, Phyllis (Harlan) Steiber of Lansing, Iowa, Helen DeWitt of Waterloo, Iowa, Barbara Hilton of Marble Rock, Iowa, and Marlene (Ted) Stirling of Nora Springs, Iowa; many nieces and nephews.

Memorial services were held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, October 11, 2012, at Immanuel United Church of Christ, with burial in Lynwood Cemetery, both in Clarksville.

Visitation was held from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Redman-Schwartz Funeral Home in Clarksville, and for an hour before services Thursday at the church.

Memorials were to be directed to the family. Condolences may be left at www.redman-schwartz.com.

Information Needed

If you have any information regarding Ken Gallmeyer’s murder please contact the Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Office at (641) 394-3121, North Central Iowa Crime Stoppers at 1-800-383-0088, or Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers at 1-855-300-TIPS (8477).

Sources:

 

5 Responses to Kenneth Gallmeyer

  1. Kim says:

    Evidently the authorities charged Patrie with killing Kenneth Gallmeyer back in January of 2022. Did not see this on the news back then, but here’s a short piece about it from KCRG: https://www.kcrg.com/2022/04/15/iowa-man-pleads-not-guilty-2012-home-invasion-killing/

  2. sure hope you can find out who did this. my thoughts to his Family and friends.

  3. Im so sorry. Where is he from. I have alot to deal with but i would like to help. God bess his soul

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