An inmate at the Iowa State Penitentiary (ISP) has been charged for the beating death of another inmate at the prison this past December.
On March 26, Anthony Michael Koehlhoeffer, 34, was charged with second-degree murder (class B felony) for the death of 64-year-old Gary Showalter Sr.
At around 4 p.m. on Dec. 19, the assault took place in the kitchen of the prison, according to a criminal complaint.
Both Koehlhoeffer and Showalter had been assigned to clean the kitchen, and on that day, the two had a verbal altercation, the complaint states.
During this altercation, as Koehlhoeffer began to walk away, Showalter continued to speak to him, Koehlhoeffer turned around, walked over to Showalter, and shoved Showalter onto the floor, according to the complaint.
Video surveillance footage captured of the incident shows Koehlhoeffer then standing over Showalter and begin punching, kicking, and stomping Showalter’s head and face area for approximately 25 seconds, using a two-handed shove to the jaw at least once, punching him in the head 21 times, and kicking and stomping him in the face and head area seven times, the complaint states.
The criminal complaint also notes that eight of the punches and six of the stomps/kicks to Showalter occurred after he appeared to have lost consciousness.
Correctional officer body camera footage recorded after the assault shows Koehlhoeffer telling an officer that Showalter “brought it upon himself,” according to the complaint.
And in telephone conversations being monitored and recorded by prison staff, Koehlhoeffer made statements about the assault, including one conversation in which he said “I’m pretty sure he was ... knocked out cold within the first blow or two I hit him with,” the complaint states.
Following the assault, Showalter was transported to the University of Iowa Health Care (UIHC) Medical Center for treatment and later died on the evening of Dec 28 at approximately 6:15 p.m.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) was called to the prison to investigate Showalter’s death and review the video surveillance footage.
An autopsy was performed on Showalter on Dec. 30 at UIHC, and the cause of his death was determined to be “blunt force injuries of the head,” and the manner of death was noted as a “homicide,” according to the complaint.
The Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC) initially issued a press release announcing Showalter’s death in December but did not include any mention of the assault.
After receiving a tip about the assault and Showalter’s death, Todd Copley, President of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 61, the union representing prison staff in Fort Madison, was able to confirm to Mississippi Valley Publishing last month that Showalter died as the result of the Dec. 19 assault.
When reached for comment last month, Iowa DCI confirmed they were investigating Showalter’s death at the request of Iowa DOC but declined to comment any further.
Iowa DOC also declined to comment on the incident when contacted last month, citing the open investigation.
Both Iowa DOC and DCI were both contacted again by Mississippi Valley Publishing for comment on Monday but have not yet responded.
Lee County Attorney Ross Braden was also contacted for comment on Monday, but would only confirm that Koehlhoeffer has been charged in the incident.
Showalter was serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole at the prison for the death of his wife, Helen Showalter, 60, of Ottumwa, in August 2021.
In September 2023, a Wapello County jury found Showalter guilty of first-degree murder for fatally beating and strangling his wife, whose body was later found in the Des Moines River.
Showalter began serving his sentence in October 2023.
Koehlhoeffer is currently serving time for a second-degree robbery conviction from 2010 in Jefferson County, stemming from the robbery of the Pilot Grove Savings Bank in Fairfield, according to a report by the Ottumwa Courier.
Koehlhoeffer is expected to make his first Lee County court appearance via telephone conference at 11 a.m. Thursday.
