Le Mars, Iowa — The rural Merrill man who is accused of shooting another man to death back on May 11th has been given a date for his 1st Degree Murder trial.
Thomas Knapp, who was 81 at the time of the incident, is accused in the shotgun slaying of 51-year-old Kevin Leroy Juzek, also of rural Merrill. He was originally charged with Domestic Abuse Assault while Displaying or Use of a Weapon. That charge was amended to 1st Degree Murder once Juzek’s autopsy results came back and the Sheriff’s Office and County Attorney completed their investigation.
Knapp has a court date of November 11th for a Pretrial Conference in the case, with his trial, barring any scheduling changes, set for 9:00 am on Tuesday December 15th in Plymouth County District Court in Le Mars.
Knapp has remained in custody in the Plymouth County Jail since his arrest the day of the shooting.
Court records in the case indicate that he is accused of firing a 20-gauge shotgun through a bedroom door, striking Juzek. Juzek then made it to a living room area, where Knapp allegedly shot him a second time.
