Murder of Marty Lee Budde

BUDDE, KONCEL

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 6/27/2009 at 10:01:52

Maquoketa Sentinel-Press
March 12, 1997

Bellevue area man charged in slaying; brother sought
By Barb Kellams and Lowell Carlson

A rural Bellevue man has been arrested and charged with first degree murder and kidnapping in conjunction with the death last week of Marty Lee Budde, 31, of rural Bellevue.

The two charges were filed early Tuesday, March 11, in Jackson County District Court against Joseph Koncel, 32, of rural Bellevue.

Koncel made a preliminary appearance before Jackson County Magistrate Ronald Besch Tuesday morning and was being held in the Jackson County Detention Center in lieu of a $2 million cash bond.

Meanwhile, authorities continued to search for a second suspect in the case, Koncel’s brother, Brian Michael Koncel.

A press release from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department early Tuesday said Brian Koncel’s whereabouts is unknown. Sheriff Russ Kettmann declined to comment on the extent of Brian Koncel’s involvement in the alleged murder.

His name, however, was mentioned in court documents filed by Jackson County sheriff’s deputy Steve Schroeder.

The complaints against Joseph Koncel allege that he, along with Brian Koncel, were responsible for “removing Marty Lee Budde from the farmyard at 22604 362nd Ave., Bellevue, Ia., to a farm field off 167th St, without the consent of Marty Budde and with the intent to secretly confine Mr. Budde.”

The information further states that “as a result of removing Mr. Budde to the farm field and secretly confining him there, Mr. Budde suffered the consequence of death.”

The murder charge further alleges that “in the course of the kidnapping, this defendant and his brother killed Marty Lee Budde, and left his body in a farm field off 167th Street.”

Meanwhile, results of an autopsy performed by Jackson County Medical Examiner Paul Koob and Iowa State Medical Examiner Thomas Bennett on Friday, March 7, revealed Budde died as the result of “blunt force trauma,” authorities said.

Contacted Monday, Koob would not elaborate on the extent of Budde’s injuries, a possible weapon or other details.

The Koncels are sons of Frances Koncel, the woman who rented the house on the farmstead owned by Budde’s parents, Wayne and Verna Budde, the location from which Budde allegedly was abducted.

Koncel’s address is listed as 22604 362nd Ave., the same address as the Budde farmstead.

Budde’s body was later found near the scene of a suspicious house fire that destroyed a home and its contents on Feb. 2.

Koncel was a resident in that house, rented by Elizabeth Bates, which was located on 167th Avenue, a dead-end gravel road located off county road Z-34 southwest of Bellevue.

As a result of their investigation into the fire, the Bellevue Fire Department and the sheriff’s department had called for assistance from the state fire marshal’s office to investigate the blaze, but no results have been released on that investigation.

The rented house, as well as the contents, with a total estimated value of $50,000, were destroyed, and the three occupants, Koncel, Bates, and Bates’ son, Gyasi, 15, escaped from the blaze.

Bates’ daughter, Christina, 11, was staying with a friend at the time.

Friends of the Bates said this week that she had told Joseph Koncel on Wednesday, March 5, to leave the home they were living in after the fire, apparently after an argument.

He then allegedly went to stay with his mother, Frances Koncel, who rented the house on the Budde farmstead.

A friend of Budde, Bob Meier of Bellevue, said Thursday, March 6, the day Budde was reported missing, that he had gone to a Springbrook tavern with Budde the previous evening.

While Budde was driving Meier home, the pair passed by the farmhouse owned by Budde’s parents. Budde noticed and remarked that a light was on in a machine shed near the house, He said he would return to the farmstead and check on the light after dropping Meier off at his house.

Meier said Budde dropped him off at his home about 11:45 p.m., then returned to his parents’ farm to check on the lights.

Meier said he had not thought any more about the incident until Budde’s wife, Kathy, called him at 6:10 the next morning to report that her husband had not retuned home and to ask if he knew where her husband was. She advised he was missing.

Gary Purtilo, an officer with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said Thursday, shortly after the investigation began and before the body had been located, that blood and hair were found outside the farmstead along county road Z-15, where Budde had gone to check on the light.

On Saturday, March 8, Bellevue volunteer firefighters were summoned to aid in the search for possible clues near the crime scene.

Firefighters who assisted with the search said they were told by deputy Steve Schroeder that all information related to the search was confidential and not to discuss the search, even with family members.

Kettmann said early this week that he was “happy” with the progress being made in the investigation, and that the DCI was also happy with the information and evidence that has been gathered. On Tuesday, the arrest was made.

He declined to comment on the possible discovery of a murder weapon during the search conducted by volunteer fireman Saturday, or on any other details of the case.

Sheriff Russ Kettmann said Monday that the investigation was focusing on the Budde farmstead, located on 362nd Avenue, just over a mile south of Bellevue, where Budde went to investigate the light and the farm land on 167th Street, the site where Budde’s body was apparently found shortly after mid-day on Thursday.

There was still no official confirmation that the 167th Street site was the location where the body was found, but the fact that deputies were focusing their attention on that area and it is mentioned in the complaint seems to indicate that it was.

The sheriff’s department in requesting that anyone with information regarding vehicles or people walking along U.S. 52, County Road Z-34 north of Preston or County Road Z-15 between Springbrook and Bellevue between the hours of 11 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, and 6 a.m. Thursday, March 6, contact the sheriff’s department.

“Please contact us even if you believe your information has already been given to the sheriff’s office by someone else. No information is insignificant,” said Kettmann.