Trial bumped to next year for Cedar Rapids man accused of killing Chris Bagley

CEDAR RAPIDS — The first-degree murder trial for a Cedar Rapids man accused of hiring two men to kill Chris Bagley in 2018 has been bumped to next year.

The trial for Andrew Thomas Shaw, 36, was previously set to start Nov. 5, but his lawyers asked for continuance because they need more time to prepare for trial, according to court documents.

Sixth Judicial District Judge David Cox granted the delay Friday and reset the trial for Feb. 4 in Linn County District Court.

Shaw’s lawyers, in their motion, said they only recently received “playable” copies of video evidence in the case.

Shaw also waived his speedy trial right.

The prosecution didn’t resist the continuance.

Shaw is charged with first-degree murder, solicitation to commit murder and conspiracy to commit forcible felony. He was charged last October in the fatal stabbing of Chris Bagley, 31, of Walker, after being released from a federal prison sentence for trafficking marijuana in Cedar Rapids.

Shaw is accused of aiding and abetting Drew Wagner, 39, and Johnny Blahnik Church, 37, formerly known as Drew Blahnik, — both convicted in Bagley’s fatal stabbing — between Oct. 1, 2018, and Feb. 20, 2019, according to the complaint.

The complaint stated Shaw hired the two men to kill Bagley and paid them for the crime.

Shaw remains in jail on $2 million bail pending trial.

Wagner, during the trial for Blahnik Church, testified how he and Blahnik Church carried out Bagley’s killing on behalf of their mutual drug dealer — Shaw — as revenge because Bagley had robbed Shaw of money and drugs and beat him up.

In December 2018, Wagner got into a fight with Bagley and threw him up against a wall and held him as Blahnik Church stabbed Bagley multiple times. Blahnik Church brought the body back to Wagner’s house and buried it in the yard, Wagner testified.

Bagley’s body, buried under a pile of lumber and a canoe by Wagner’s garage, 4069 Soutter Ave. SE in Cedar Rapids, was excavated from the frozen ground by law enforcement March 1, 2019.

Blahnik Church is serving 57 years in prison for Bagley’s killing and also is serving time for assaulting another inmate while he was in the Linn County Jail.

Wagner, who pleaded to voluntary manslaughter, assault while participating in a felony, conspiracy to commit a forcible felony, abuse of a corpse and obstruction of prosecution, was sentenced to 47 years.

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