(UPDATE: A judge has ruled the trials will be moved out of Monona County to Woodbury County. The trial for Jamie Allen is scheduled to begin on February 3, 2026.)

ONAWA, Iowa (KTIV) – A western Iowa man charged with murder after he allegedly shot and killed his wife will have his trial moved. The trial of 50-year-old Jamie Allen of Onawa will be granted a change of venue. On the trial’s first scheduled day, potential jurors were given questionnaires. After those questionnaires were reviewed, the defense made a motion for a change of venue. He faces on count of first degree murder in connection with the death of Stacey Allen.

The state resisted the motion for a change, but the court ruled that, based on the extent of knowledge or opinion of the case by prospective jurors, a substantial number of potential jurors could not be impartial.

According to court documents, there would be a substantial likelihood that a fair and impartial trial could not be preserved with a jury selected from Monona County. The judge then dismissed all potential jurors. The trial will be rescheduled to a later date, not yet determined.

The investigation was handled by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, which concluded, “On May 10, 2024, at approximately [5:40 p.m.], Jamie Lee Allen, having malice aforethought, willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation killed his wife, Stacey Maria Jean Allen, with a firearm, outside of their home.”