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Prosecution says biggest secret wasn’t Chris Bagley’s killing, it’s who ‘orchestrated’ conspiracy
Andrew Shaw is on trial for first-degree murder, other charges, in the 2018 fatal stabbing
Aug. 7, 2025 7:27 pm, Updated: Aug. 21, 2025 9:57 am
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CEDAR RAPIDS — Andrew Shaw is “the why” for Chris Bagley being fatally stabbed and then buried in a yard on the southeast side of Cedar Rapids on Dec. 14, 2018, a prosecutor said Thursday during her opening statement.
Shaw, 37, of Cedar Rapids, may not have been the one who thrust the knife into Bagley’s body 13 times, but he is the one who started the chain of events and paid two other men to carry out the “brutal” plan, Assistant Linn County Attorney Jennifer Erger said.
During those early morning hours the two men — Johnny Blahnik Church, formerly known as Drew Blahnik, 38, of Marion, and Drew Wagner, 39, of Cedar Rapids — went searching for Bagley, 31, of Walker, because he had a become a “liability” to Shaw. Bagley was threatening Shaw’s “lifestyle and freedom,” Erger said.
Shaw was a “large scale marijuana dealer” who kept cash, tools and various items at his shop and Bagley, who had been friends with Shaw, knew about all of it, Erger said. At some point in 2018, their relationship took a turn, she said, when Bagley started using methamphetamine and burning bridges, including those with Shaw.
Bagley would take small amounts of drugs and cash, Erger said, but then it escalated into burglaries and robberies of Shaw. So Shaw recruited Wagner and Blahnik Church to execute Bagley in a mobile home owned by another friend, Paul Hoff, 46, of Cedar Rapids.
Shaw, on trial this week, is charged with first-degree murder, solicitation to commit murder and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony in the fatal stabbing of Bagley. The murder was carried out by Wagner and Blahnik Church who Shaw paid to commit the crime, according to a criminal complaint.
Wagner is serving 37 years for voluntary manslaughter and other charges in prison, Blahnik Church is serving 57 years for second-degree murder in this case and another assault and Hoff was sentenced for two years for obstructing prosecution.
A jury was selected Thursday and the prosecution had enough time in the afternoon for two witnesses following opening statements. The trial is expected to go into next week.
Prosecution: Shaw paid for killing with money, drugs
Erger said Wagner will testify about the plan he and Blahnik Church discussed with Shaw, who instructed them to assault and “mess up” Bagley. They searched Oct. 14 for Bagley and reached Hoff to confirm he was at this mobile home.
Wagner, who took Hoff to another room, waited for his “cue” — Blahnik Church’s “distinct” laugh — before going in to start an argument with Bagley about him robbing Shaw, Erger said. The two got into a shoving match and Wagner grabbed Bagley and held him, while Blahnik Church stepped in and repeatedly stabbed Bagley, killing him.
The men then wrapped Bagley’s body in plastic and sheets and pushed it out a window into Blahnik Church’s pickup truck bed, so Wagner and Blahnik Church could bury the body in Wagner’s yard.
Erger said Wagner will testify that Shaw gave him a bag with drugs and money for Blahnik Church after the killing. Shaw also gave additional property and drugs to both men, Erger noted.
“The biggest secret wasn’t the death of Bagley. It was who orchestrated it — Andrew Shaw,” Erger said.
Defense: Prosecution can’t prove its case against Shaw
Julia Zalenski, Shaw’s lawyer, in her opening said the prosecution’s case is a “house of cards” built on lies — “tainted by lies.”
Zalenski said she acknowledges the Bagley family’s loss of their loved one — which shouldn’t have happened — but the jurors shouldn’t let the “horrifying” details influence them because Blahnik Church and Wagner killed Bagley. And the prosecution can’t prove their case against Shaw, Zalenski said.
Shaw may have had problems or conflicts, or even “hated” Bagley, but it doesn’t “amount to murder,” she said. The prosecution has to prove more than Shaw having issues with Bagley.
Zalenski said Wagner and Hoff started giving investigators more information when they were facing many years or life in prison. Wagner told different stories when police found out he was involved, she said.
The defense isn’t arguing who fatally stabbed Bagley — it was Blahnik Church. This trial, she said, is about Shaw and his involvement.
Zalenski said Shaw wasn’t involved in the argument or assault at the mobile home that morning, and only Wagner has said Shaw paid them. Wagner was given a deal to testify against Shaw. There’s no evidence to prove it, Zalenski said.
Evidence of the robberies doesn’t matter, unless the prosecution can prove Shaw intended for Bagley to be killed, Zalenski said.
Police officer, sheriff’s deputy testify
Jared Gienger, a Cedar Rapids Police crime scene investigator, testified he was on patrol as a field training officer in October 2018 when Shaw called police to report he was assaulted by Bagley at Shaw’s business, A Shaw Investments.
Shaw was at home when Gienger arrived and he had several injuries, including bruising and lacerations around his left eye, abrasions to his head and an injury to the back of his head.
Shaw told Gienger that Bagley had kicked in the door of his shop and demanded his floor sander, which was at Shaw’s shop. Shaw helped Bagley load it up and then Bagley hit him from behind and another man who was with Bagley “choked him out.”
Gienger said Shaw didn’t mention Bagley stole any items from him.
Shaw called police and talked to them from his house, which Gienger said he thought was unusual, since the assault happened at the shop. Shaw told police he wanted to get out of the area and go home.
Gienger said he wanted to go to Shaw’s shop to do an investigation of the scene, but Shaw didn’t want him to go there because he feared it would be on the “news.” Gienger told him it wouldn’t.
Shaw then told Gienger the owner of the property was going to sell it and he didn’t want to interfere with that, Gienger said.
Gienger said he later went to Shaw’s shop and the door frame was damaged from a tool that had been used to pry open a dead bolt, which wasn’t consistent with being kicked in. There was also a bullet hole in the door, which would have been fired from the inside.
Gienger got a statement from Bagley, but he said he couldn’t reach Shaw for follow up. Shaw never returned his calls, so the case was closed.
Linn County Sheriff’s Deputy Jim Tindal testified about a road rage incident he responded to in November 2018 on North Center Point Road. Shaw, who seemed to be calm when Tindal arrived, told police he was forced off the road by Bagley and that Bagley also pointed a gun at him.
Shaw told police Bagley “banged” on his Camero hood with a gun and Tindal observed a dent and scratch to the hood. It appeared to have been made by a “base plate” of a handgun’s magazine, Tindal said.
Shaw said he wanted to make a complaint but never followed up with Tindal. Tindal said Shaw agreed to meet him at a later time, but he never showed up.
Trish Mehaffey covers state and federal courts for The Gazette
Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com
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