(Spirit Lake)– Some family members are among those testifying in the 1st degree murder trial of Kyle Ricke, who’s accused of fatally shooting Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram on September 13th of last year.
Ricke’s mother, Irene, was among those taking the stand. She talked about how her son was distraught after having been arrested about a week before the incident for harassment, and that he was upset after learning he was being arrested a second time. Irene testified that she was chatting with officer Cram while standing next to her son, when she heard popping sounds and witnessed Cram falling to the ground. Irene says her son told her he didn’t know what he had done but that it was awful and stated he needed to go. She said she tried to argue with him to stay.
Christine Mathiowetz, Kyle Ricke’s sister, testified that Ricke showed up at her home in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota following the incident, and that she prayed with him after telling her he thought he did something wrong, that he wanted to end it, and that he came to her to say goodbye. Mathiowetz testified that she retrieved the murder weapon and threw it somewhere but couldn’t remember where. Investigators found it months later in some bushes outside Mathiowetz’s home.
Testimony is resuming today (Wed.).
