An Ottumwa man is being held on a bond of over one-million dollars after being charged with a murder that happened earlier this year.
Twenty-five-year-old Bruce Darnell Pollard is facing a charge of first-degree murder in connection with the death of 70-year-old Kenneth L. McDaniel, also from Ottumwa.
On March 13th Ottumwa police and fire personnel responded to the Cinema X Theater for a person needing medical assistance. Upon arrival, emergency personnel found McDaniel dead inside the front door of the business.
An autopsy performed by the State Medical Examiner’s Office indicated McDaniel was killed as a result of “blunt force injuries to the head and neck. ” During an investigation authorities seized numerous items including pornographic material stolen during the murder/robbery, bloody clothing belonging to Pollard and a pry bar used to kill McDaniel.
During an interview Pollard admitted he entered the Cinema X on March 11th with a pry bar in his possession, struck McDaniel in the head with the bar, strangled him, and then stole pornographic materials and an undisclosed amount of cash.
By Mike Buchanan, KBIZ, Ottumwa