Jasper County murder trial rescheduled for July

A jury trial date has been rescheduled in a Jasper County murder case. Randy L. Linderman, 52, will face a first-degree murder charge July 9 in Jasper County District Court.

Linderman, of Charles City, was arrested after officials connected him to Jose Ramirez Berber’s March 6, 2017, death, where Berber was found dead inside of his rural Jasper County home. He pleaded not guilty in July.

Linderman told officials he knew Berber and had been to his home “a couple dozen times.” He also told authorities he did some tree cutting work there, according to court documents.

Officials received a 911 call from a family member at 11 a.m. March 6 to 4252 Maple St. in reference to an unresponsive person. When law enforcement and Newton Fire and EMS arrived, they found Berber lying on the floor unresponsive.

DNA was reportedly found on Berber’s body and undergarments, which matched the DNA of Linderman, according to court documents. The autopsy results determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, according to the Iowa State Medical Examiner.

He remains at the Jasper County Jail without bond. If convicted, he faces a life sentence in prison.

Linderman has reportedly resided in Jasper County for the past two years. He is a registered sex offender who was convicted of third-degree sexual abuse in 2001 in Floyd County.

Contact Kayla Singletary at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or ksingletary@newtondailynews.com