DES MOINES, LOWA: Helen Showalter’s killer husband Gregory Showalter Sr is set to serve life in prison after the court’s order this week.
The man also dumped her body in the Des Moines River after he managed to get his wife to a job site on July 31, 2021, during their divorce.
Gregory Showalter initially admitted to his crime
After her body was found in the river the next day. Gregory confessed and surrendered to authorities, which followed was followed by the murder case charges.
During the trial, he pleaded not guilty, but was eventually found ‘guilty of first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, willful injury causing serious injury, and domestic abuse assault by strangulation or impeding blood circulation.’
In a statement, Wapello County Attorney Reuben Neff said his heart goes out to the family of Helen Showalter.
“While no outcome can bring back their beloved Helen, we hope that the resolution of this case offers them some measure of solace,” he said.
“Thanks to the exceptional work of law enforcement, justice has been served, and Gregory Allen Showalter Sr will face the consequences of his actions.”
Gregory Showalter didn't show up for the guilty murder verdict hearing
Earlier, the convict skipped the reading of his guilty murder verdict and was later arrested hiding with a whiskey bottle at home, as per Law&Crime.
His lawyer said, “When that did not occur and substantial time had passed, I became concerned about his welfare [and] contacted the judge and law enforcement asking that a welfare check be done at Mr. Showalter’s home,” attorney Robert Breckenridge reportedly said.
He was later found by the cops, “Law enforcement searched the home and found the defendant hiding behind a chair, dressed in camouflage, holding a bottle of whiskey,” prosecutors said in a statement.
“Law enforcement forcibly removed the defendant from his hiding area due to his lack of cooperation.”
The Ottumwa resident had been on bail for almost two years after he agreed to attend all his hearings, wear a GPS monitor, and 10% of his $250,000 bond amount, reports MEAWW.
“His trial came and he was appearing throughout the week and then on Friday when they took their lunch break and the jury had come back with a verdict, he was supposed to come back after the lunch break and he never returned,” said Sgt Derek Shaw.
With Showalter not appearing for the hearing, a judge took action, canceled his bond, and issued an arrest warrant.
