Charles City man in federal prison to return to state to face murder charge of rural Nashua man

CHARLES CITY — A Charles City man who has been in federal prison for over seven years will be returned to the state to face a murder charge in the death of rural Nashua man.

District Judge Richard Stochl last week signed an arrest warrant for 39-year-old Randy Patrie, who has been considered as the chief suspect in the murder of 70-year-old retired grocer Kenneth Gallmeyer, whose body was found in his home north of Nashua on October 4th 2012 after deputies were dispatched on a welfare check.

Patrie in 2014 was sentenced to life in prison on federal charges of possession of firearms by a felon as an armed career criminal and possession of sawed-off shotguns, but on appeal that sentence was overturned in 2017 and Patrie was re-sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Authorities say Patrie is currently serving that sentence in a federal prison in New Jersey and he likely will be returned to Iowa in the next 30 days.