The man arrested last week in Iowa after barricading himself in a church was charged on Friday with two counts of first-degree murder.
Gage Walter, 27, of Omaha, Nebraska, is accused of killing his grandmother, Linda Walter, 70, and his great-grandmother, Marceline Teeters, 90. Their bodies were found on Aug. 13 in Omaha, the Washington Examiner reported.
Walter is also charged with attempted murder in a hammer attack on Stephen Reimer of Omaha on Aug. 12, as well as three weapons counts.
On Aug. 14, Walter was arrested after fleeing police officers who were attempting to conduct a traffic stop. He led them to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Winterset, Iowa, where he barricaded himself inside and surrendered after hours of negotiations, police said. At the time, he was a suspect in the double homicide.
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At the time, West Des Moines Police Sgt. Jason Heintz told the Cedar Rapids Gazette that Walter faced charges of possession of a stolen vehicle and fleeing from police and that he may be charged with burglary for entering the church.
The West Des Moines Police Department confirmed to the Washington Examiner that it charged Walter with second-degree theft, felony eluding, no valid driver’s license, excessive speeding, and driving on the wrong side of the highway. The burglary charge, if still applicable, would fall under the Winterset Police Department’s jurisdiction.
