An Iowa man charged with murder in the death and disappearance of a Wisconsin woman was found guilty Wednesday by a Polk County jury.James Klever, 48, of Osceola, was convicted of first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. “The relentlessness of investigation by law enforcement and the quality of the evidence made the difference in this case,” said Polk County Attorney Kimberly Graham. Prosecutors say 30-year-old Rachel Reuter, of Cassville, Wisconsin, was reported missing by her father to the Urbandale Police Department on June 16, 2021. Surveillance video showed that Klever and Reuter had been at an Urbandale motel on June 11 and 12, 2021, and cellphone data indicated both ended up at an address in Bondurant the night of the 12th. Investigators found evidence that Klever killed Reuter in a garage in Bondurant on June 13 and put her body in the trunk of his vehicle. He told a witness that he disposed of the body near Cainsville, Mo., several days later.Klever, who admitted selling methamphetamine, also told the witness that he thought Reuter was an informant.During the trial, Klever, 48, testified that he and Reuter got into a fight at the garage and he hit her on the head. Reuter, who was originally from Wisconsin and had moved to Des Moines, had two children. Polk County deputies said her remains have not been located.
An Iowa man charged with murder in the death and disappearance of a Wisconsin woman was found guilty Wednesday by a Polk County jury.
James Klever, 48, of Osceola, was convicted of first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.
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“The relentlessness of investigation by law enforcement and the quality of the evidence made the difference in this case,” said Polk County Attorney Kimberly Graham.
Prosecutors say 30-year-old Rachel Reuter, of Cassville, Wisconsin, was reported missing by her father to the Urbandale Police Department on June 16, 2021.
Surveillance video showed that Klever and Reuter had been at an Urbandale motel on June 11 and 12, 2021, and cellphone data indicated both ended up at an address in Bondurant the night of the 12th.
Investigators found evidence that Klever killed Reuter in a garage in Bondurant on June 13 and put her body in the trunk of his vehicle. He told a witness that he disposed of the body near Cainsville, Mo., several days later.
Klever, who admitted selling methamphetamine, also told the witness that he thought Reuter was an informant.
During the trial, Klever, 48, testified that he and Reuter got into a fight at the garage and he hit her on the head.
Reuter, who was originally from Wisconsin and had moved to Des Moines, had two children.
Polk County deputies said her remains have not been located.