Court records: Marion man said ‘pain in his head’ stopped after 4 people bludgeoned with pipe

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Marion man accused of bludgeoning four people to death with a metal pipe in June told a detective he “felt better after this and the pain in his head was no longer there,” a recently unsealed search warrant reveals.

The search warrant affidavit provides a few more details about what happened to the four victims and what their accused killer initially told Linn County sheriff’s detectives.

  Buy Photo

Law enforcement was called at 3:56 p.m. to 3699 East Otter Rd., near Marion, on June 5 for a report of people passed out in a detached garage or outbuilding of the property, according to the search warrant.

When they entered the building, deputies found four people who had been struck with a blunt force object or other weapon, causing serious injuries to the head an neck of the victims, the court document states.

Amanda Sue Parker, 33, of Vinton, and her boyfriend, Romondus “Roe” Lamar Cooper, 44, of Cedar Rapids, and Keonna Victoria Ryan, 26, of Cedar Rapids, were all dead at the scene.

Brent Anthony Brown, 34, Ryan’s boyfriend, “still showed signs of life,” according to the court document. He was flown by air ambulance to a hospital but died three days later. The property where the killings happened is owned by Lon Brown, father of Brent Brown.

  Buy Photo

Detectives found suspect outside the house

During immediate interviews at the scene, Linn County sheriff’s Det. Sgt. Todd Egli and another sergeant were interviewing anyone who may have been present at the scene at the time of the attacks. According to the warrant, they found Luke Wade Truesdell, 34, sitting outside the house near the outbuilding.

Egli said authorities initially thought the suspect or suspects who attacked the four may already have left the scene in a vehicle. When Truesdell was identified, he appeared “emotional” and was sitting on the sidewalk outside the house. Egli noticed an empty knife sheath in Truesdell’s pocket and asked him where the knife was.

Egli told him he wasn’t under arrest, according to the court records — that authorities were just trying to figure out what happened.

After a short interview, Truesdell, still emotional, described going into the outbuilding and said he “hit them.” Egli and the other sergeant tried to clarify what he was saying, and Truesdell admitted to hitting the four people with a pipe and told police where to find it in the outbuilding.

Meth use may have contributed, Truesdell said

Truesdell said he killed the four because of “various reasons including drug use, past trauma” and he ”identified one victim, Cooper, as a person who would distribute meth to him.”

Truesdell said methamphetamine use may have contributed to him “trying to get rid of all 4 of them,” according to the court document. The sergeants made him go over what happened “many times” and he said he “struggled and feels better after doing it.”

Law enforcement verified he acted alone and that his father, Larry Truesdell, was outside the outbuilding at the time of the murders, the document states.

Luke Truesdell told investigators he removed the knife from its sheath and placed it outside near a boat so officers wouldn’t “shoot him” when they arrived because he “just wanted talk” with law enforcement.

Suspect told investigators he ‘lost it’

He admitted he was handed the pipe that was used in the attack by the “first possible victim — Cooper” — to help Truesdell, who was working on a vehicle but “lost it” while all four of them were arguing.

Truesdell, according to the affidavit, said most of the attack was a “blur” and one person, Brown, may have tried to defend himself. He attacked Cooper first because he was the “biggest” person, the affidavit states.

Police found the metal pipe near the entry door of the building on the west side. It appeared to have blood, hair and other “bodily evidence” on it, according to the warrant.

Truesdell was read his rights, handcuffed and taken to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, but continued to talk to with Egli, who was wearing a body camera with audio. He made “many” statements but mentioned a lawyer. Based on his “confusion and behavior” he wasn’t questioned further, the records shows, but during the ride admitted to using meth and agreed to provide a urine sample for testing.

Truesdell was charged with four charges of first-degree murder. His trial is set for April 8 in Linn County District Court. He remains in the Linn County Jail on a $4 million cash-only bail.

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com