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DAKOTA CITY, Iowa — A jury Monday took less than two hours to convict a West Des Moines man of killing his estranged wife and her boyfriend along a road near Marshalltown.
The jury found Kyle Deemer guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, rejecting claims he shot his wife, Jessica Deemer, and her boyfriend, Bryce Mercer, while under the influence of drugs.
The two were fatally shot on Oct. 17, 2008, on the side of Iowa Highway 14 in Marshall County. The trial was moved to Humboldt County due to pretrial publicity.
In closing arguments Monday, prosecutor Jennifer Miller said Deemer, 29, had signaled his desire to kill the two “months before, weeks before, days before, hours before, minutes before, even seconds before” he shot them.
Although they had been married five years, the Deemers separated in summer 2008. Jessica Deemer and Mercer, both 24 years old, were secretly dating. They were driving to a Mercer family barbecue in Gladbrook when they died.
In his closing arguments, defense attorney Aaron Hawbaker didn't deny Deemer killed his wife and Mercer but said the slaying didn't meet the definition of first-degree murder. He claimed Deemer was high on methamphetamine when he shot the pair.
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