| Notes |
- Hiawatha
Shelley Razor-Markwell, 36, of 76 Northwood Dr., was found dead Monday, July 28, 2003. Arrangements are pending at Cedar Memorial Funeral Home, Cedar Rapids.
The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Wednesday, 30 July 2003.
[2, 3]
- Man charge with murder in Hiawatha
by Anelia K. Dimitroava, Register Correspondent
Hiawatha, Ia. - Police arrested a 21-year-old man Tuesday in the death of a woman he had reportedly lived with.
Christopher Joseph Wheeler of Hiawatha was charged with first degree murder in the death this week of Shelley Kay Razor-Markwell, 36, a mother of three.
Wheeler was arrested at St. Luke's Hospital after the victim's missing car, a 1988 light blue Plymouth Sundance, was spotted in the area. Police said a witness saw the suspect leave Razor-Markwell's vehicle Monday and called authorities.
They found razor-Markwell at 1 p.m. that day.
Police Chief Richard Pierce said the victim was not shot or stabbed. An autopsy was scheduled.
"We are tying some loose ends and trying to determine motive," Pierce said.
He estimated the time of death as late Sunday or early Monday.
The victim, police say, was by herself in the apartment, and none of her three children, two boys and a girl ranging in age from 2 to 13, was there.
"The kids are with their fathers, and they are all very shook up," Pierce said.
Relatives and friends, who said the children are very close to each other, are worried how they are going to adjust to their mother's death.
Chelle Bennett, 18, and her friend Ashley Schafer, 18, last saw Razor-Markwell about 6 p.m. Sunday when they went to return a vacuum cleaner they had borrowed.
"Shelley was very, very good about everything, and very quiet," Bennett said. "The last thing she said to me was 'Keep on trucking.'"
Neighbors say Razor-Markwell rarely had guests, although a cousin occasionally stopped there.
Hiawatha is a city of 5,000 people, north of Cedar Rapids. Pierce, who has been on the police force for 24 years, said Razor-Markwell's death was his second homicide investigation.
"Any time somebody gets murdered, especially a female and a single mother, we all become concerned with our safety and well-being, " said Jeff Tourdot, 26, a Hiawatha resident. "It's a very nice community, and things like this do not happen here."
Wheeler was unemployed, police said. He had reportedly checked himself into the hospital.
Hiawatha police, Linn County Sheriff's deputies, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and other agencies continue the investigation.
The Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa. Wednesday, 30 July 2003.
[3]
- Hiawatha man wants murder trial moved
by Elizabeth Kutter, The Gazette
Cedar Rapids - Christopher Wheeler has asked to have his Jan. 26 murder trial moved out of Linn County because he believes media coverage may make it impossible for him to receive a fair trial.
Wheeler's attorneys, Ahmet Gonlubol and David Grinde, brought the change of venue matter before Judge L. Vern Robinson on Tuesday.
Wheeler, 21, is accused of first-degree murder in the July 28 strangling death of Shelly Razor-Markwell, 36. Wheeler lived with Razor-Markwell, a single mother at 78 Northwood Dr., Apr. 2, in Hiawatha.
Defense attorney Gonlubol pointed to a jailhouse interview given by Wheeler to The Gazette within days of his arrest and television reports of the murder as evidence of the need to move the trial. Gonlubol also cited the media's repeated references to Wheeler's convictions for domestic abuse as a reason for the move.
Wheeler has a lengthy criminal history in Linn County, including four convictions for domestic abuse. He remains in Linn County jail in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Robinson has not yet ruled on the matter.
The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Thursday, 27 November 2003.
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1966 - 2003 (36 years)
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