Charles City man convicted of murder has sentencing delayed

NEWTON — The sentencing for a Charles City man convicted of murdering a rural Newton man has been delayed.

53-year-old Randy Linderman was found guilty by a Jasper County jury of first-degree murder back in November. Linderman was accused of murdering Jose Berber on March 6th of 2017 in rural Jasper County. A family member found Berber’s body inside his rural Newton home, with an autopsy determining that Berber died of blunt force trauma.

Linderman’s sentencing was originally scheduled to be held today. He filed a motion for a new trial, but online court records indicate District Judge Richard Clogg issued a continuance on December 31st after Linderman’s attorney filed a motion to withdraw from the case, which was granted.

The hearing for Linderman’s sentencing and motion for a new trial is now scheduled to be held on February 11th. When sentenced, Linderman faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the opportunity for parole.