Spencer, Iowa — A South Dakota man has been arrested on first-degree murder charges in Spencer.
According to a criminal complaint filed with the Clay County Clerk of Court’s Office by the Spencer Police Department, 44-year-old Wade St John Sr is accused of murder in the death of Djay Loudner of Spencer. He was arrested on Wednesday.
In his statement, the officer says the police were called to the alley west of the 200 block of Grand Avenue in Spencer on Tuesday night for the report of an unconscious male bleeding badly. He says Spencer Ambulance arrived, and the man was declared deceased. The officer says surveillance video from a nearby business shows a physical altercation ensued between St. John and Loudner in which St. John struck Loudner several times while Loudner appeared defenseless and unconscious. He says after already striking Loudner multiple times, St. John allegedly walked away, grabbed a bottle of clear liquid, and dumped it on Loudner’s face. The video then seems to show St. John continuing to kick Loudner multiple times in the face.
St. John was charged with murder in the first degree, a class A felony. If convicted, St. John would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
No court dates have yet been set in the case.
