ALBIA —
A jury last week agreed with prosecutors that a local man murdered his own brother.
Richard Davis, now 75, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Dr. Gary Davis, 60, of Albia. Prosecutors had sought a conviction of first-degree murder.
“We appreciate the jury’s hard work, and we respect its decision,” Geoff Greenwood, a spokesman for the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, told the Courier on Monday.
The verdict came back Friday after a trial that started last Monday.
In February 2011, the Monroe County Law Center received a report of a shooting on Linden Lane in Albia.
Officers found Gary Davis in his driveway, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Dr. Davis was transported to the Monroe County Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Later that same day, Richard Davis was pulled over by a police officer in Clarke County. Richard Davis was charged with murder, and ordered held on $2 million bail.
According to an Associated Press report at the time of the incident, the victim, a respected doctor, had a history of trouble with his older brother, Richard.
Neighbors said they remember Gary as a caring physician who always had time for his patients.
A jury trial had originally been scheduled for August 2011, but a series of delays put a trial on hold until after Davis’ mental health could be determined during a competency hearing.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office took Davis to the University of Iowa Hospitals for testing.
But in June of this year, Judge James Blomgren ruled “the defendant is competent to stand trial.”
A sentencing date was not available in the court record as of press time Monday. Second-degree murder is a class “B” felony punishable by up to 50 years in prison.
Local News
October 30, 2012
Davis found guilty of murdering brother
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