Murder charges have been dropped against a Council Bluffs man accused in the shooting death of another man last April. Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber says a grand jury on Tuesday declined to file charges against 43-year-old Robert Keith Hashberger.
Wilber had previously dismissed a charge of first-degree murder. The grand jury’s decision, known as a “No Bill,” was filed this morning and means the jury agreed Hashberger was acting in self-defense.
Hashberger shot 41-year-old John Anthony Rodarte once in the chest with a nine-millimeter handgun on the evening of April 13 following a verbal altercation at a Council Bluffs restaurant and bar. Hashberger, who claimed he was acting in self-defense, was initially charged with first-degree murder.
An investigation and deposition of witnesses, however, resulted in the county attorney’s office dismissing the charge, which was taken under consideration by the grand jury. Wilber said the jury’s verdict brings the case to a close.
He wouldn’t comment further on the evidence the jury considered, because those proceedings are secret.
By Ric Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic