(Corrects victims’ name)

The Iowa Court of Appeals, in a decision reached November 9th, reversed a November 2014 1st degree murder conviction and the Jan. 21st, 2015 sentencing of an Oakland man to life in prison, for the April 8th, 2014 murder of a woman in his home. Robert Reynolds had appealed his 1st Degree murder conviction without the possibility of parole, objecting to the trial venue and makeup of the jury pool. The Court of Appeals determined the Trial Court erroneously changed the venue of Reynold’s trial. The Justices ruled therefore that Reynolds is entitled to a new trial, and ordered his case be heard before a new jury.

His appeal regarding the jury pool, contended the court drew from persons solely from eastern Pottawattamie County, the same area where the murder took place. He argued his Sixth Amendment right was violated by the District Court’s failure to have a fairer cross section of the community. He said also, if Pottawattamie County is still a divided judicial district, then the District Court was wrong to change the venue from Avoca to Council Bluffs without following the requirements of the Iowa Rule of Criminal Procedure.

Reynolds also argued a jailhouse phone call – during which he admitted to someone named “Bobby,” that he “Killed a woman” —  should not have been admitted into evidence because the State failed to lay the proper foundation. The Appeals Court said State did however lay the proper foundation for the recording’s admission into evidence.

On Nov. 21st, 2014 Reynolds was convicted by a jury in connection with the early morning shooting of Patricia Kincaid-Dorsey in Reynolds’ Oakland home. Kinkade-Dorsey was a friend of Robert Reynolds’ wife Theresa, and was staying at the house prior to departing for California.

The Iowa Supreme Court could reverse the Appeals Court, but if that doesn’t happen, Reynolds will get a new trial.No new trial date has been set. The link to the Appeals Court decision can be found here: http://www.iowacourts.gov/About_the_Courts/Court_of_Appeals/Court_of_Appeals_Opinions/Recent_Opinions/20161109/15-0226.pdf?search=No%2E+15%2D0226#_1