March 28, 2024

Identities released in Prairie City murder-suicide

PRAIRIE CITY — Investigators have released the identities of the two men who were involved in a murder-suicide in Prairie City early Sunday morning.

According to the Prairie City Police Department, 30-year-old Harmon (Wes) Wright III and 32-year-old Chris Tetrick were found dead at a 405 N. Orchard St. shortly after 4 a.m.

Investigators said Tetrick placed the 911 call to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office dispatch at 4:16 a.m., stating he was going through a divorce, found Wright in his wife’s bed and shot him. Tetrick told dispatchers he was considering harming himself.

Police found Wright in the home’s basement with multiple gunshot wounds. Tetrick was found inside a detached garage on the property. He had suffered a single gunshot wound. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene.

The homeowner was outside the residence when police arrived and told investigators they were unsure what had happened. The homeowner, who has not been identified, was not injured.

Prairie City Police Chief Joe Bartello said there was no one else present at the residence at the time of the incident.

Bartello said the state medical examiner performed autopsies on both men Monday and ruled the incident a murder-suicide.

Next door neighbors on both sides of the Tetrick home, Rob Hoffman to the north and Larry Price to the south, said they didn’t hear anything suspicious in the middle of the night.

“I slept through it all,” Price said. “I woke up at about 4:30 a.m. to go to the bathroom and then I noticed the blue and red lights going off. I peaked out the window and saw the whole neighborhood closed off. I thought ‘well there’s something bad going on.’ But I never heard anything before that.”

Price, who has lived at his Prairie City home for more than 10 years, said he rarely interacted with the residents, however, he said it’s scary to know that something like that can happen at any time.

“That’s about the most excitement that we’ve had around here in years,” Price said. “Something like that, and when it’s right next door, really kind of makes you wonder. It kind of keeps you on edge.”

The road between Eighth Street and North Street was closed off for much of the day Sunday while authorities investigated the crime.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation led the investigation with the Prairie City Police Department. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Colfax Police Department and Jasper County Emergency Management assisted in the investigation.

Contact Alex Olp at aolp@newtondailynews.com