A Dickinson County Jury has found Kyle Lou Ricke guilty in the shooting death of Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram in September of 2023.
Judge Nancy Whittenburg read the verdict just before noon. “We the jury find the defendant, Kyle Lou Ricke, guilty of the crime of murder in the first degree,” she read..
The jury received the case around 10:30 a.m. and deliberated for roughly an hour before returning the verdict. The trial began Monday with jury selection, there was testimony on Tuesday, and closing arguments Wednesday. The defense did not dispute that Ricke shot Officer Cram, but claimed the act was not premeditated. Teh defense did not call any witnesses.
The prosecution said Ricke executed Cram, who came to arrest Ricke for a misdemeanor charge of harassment from Palo Alto County. The trial was moved from Kossuth County due to concerns about finding an impartial jury due to pre-trial publicity. The mandatory sentence for first-degree murder in Iowa is life in prison without parole. A sentencing date will be set later.
(By Brian Wilson, KLGA, Algona)