–A jury in Dickinson County took about an hour to reach a verdict in the First-Degree Murder trial of Kyle Lou Ricke Thursday, the man accused of killing Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram in September of 2023. Judge Nancy Whittenburg read the verdict shortly before 12 PM.
The jury heard closing arguments from both the prosecution and defense prior to beginning their deliberations. Following the verdict, Assistant Attorney General Scott Brown spoke with reporters and expressed his gratitude to the jury members.
The defense rested their case on Wednesday without calling any witnesses. Brown says he wasn’t completely surprised that the defendant did not testify on his own behalf.
During his closing argument, Brown was silent for 96 seconds to replicate the amount of time the defendant had between his first contact with Officer Cram on September 13th and the time of the shooting.
Brown says the verdict won’t bring closure to Officer Cram’s family, many of whom were in the courtroom Thursday, but he says it is a step in the right direction.
Sentencing has been scheduled for August 21st in Kossuth County. Brown says he encouraged family members to read victim impact statements at that hearing, where Ricke will be sentenced to Life in Prison without the possibility of parole.
