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Dallas County man charged with 1st Degree Murder after allegedly killing a person living with him

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March 17th, 2025 by Ric Hanson

(Perry, Iowa) – [UPDATE[ Officials with the Perry Police Department have arrested a man on a murder charge. Authorities say 75-year-old Richard James Hoesing, of Perry, was charged with Felony Murder in the 1st Degree, for allegedly killing a person who lived with him. Officers responded at around 8:42-p.m. Sunday to a residence in the 2600 block of Lucinda Street, in Perry, following a 911 call from the residence. The caller was identified as Richard Hoesing, who reported that he had killed another individual who lived at the residence with him. Hoesing was cooperative upon the officers’ arrival and was detained. Officers located a deceased person inside the home.
A criminal complaint filed in the case said Richard Hoesing told Dallas County Dispatch that he had killed his wife, 74-year-old Jean Hoesing, because she suffered from Bipolar condition and M.S., and that he “killed her to put her out of her misery.”

Jean Hoesing’s body was found in a bedroom on the main floor and it appeared she had a “severe laceration across the front of her throat,” according to the complaint. A small wooden-handled kitchen knife was found in the bathroom, which an officer said looked to have been cleaned but had what appeared to be blood on the tip. Blood was also found on Richard Hoesing’s hands and clothes.

Hoesing was transported to the Perry Police Department and later charged with Murder in the 1st Degree. He was transported to Dallas County Jail and booked into jail this (Monday) morning, March 17, 2025. Perry Police say this was an isolated incident, and there is no threat to the community. The case remains under investigation.

Richard James Hoesing (Perry PD photo)

The Perry Police Department was assisted by Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, Dallas County Emergency Medical Services, Dallas County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.