On the night of March 17, 2022, the life of 74-year-old Lawrence Whittle, a White male, came to a violent end on the farm he shared with his stepson in Decorah, Iowa. The events of that night would remain a secret for a short time, concealed by the very person who called him family. His stepson, Aaron Gary Whittle, would later report Lawrence missing, setting in motion an investigation that would uncover a grim and calculated crime.
The illusion of a simple disappearance began to crumble
when law enforcement executed a search warrant on the Whittle farm. Investigators discovered unsettling evidence, including a piece of blood-stained carpet that had been cut away. The search for a missing person soon turned into a homicide investigation. Under questioning, Aaron Whittle's story changed. He admitted to killing his stepfather, initially claiming it was an act of self-defense during a struggle over a shotgun.
The investigation revealed a far more deliberate attempt to cover up the murder. Aaron had shot his stepfather while he slept in a recliner. In the aftermath, he burned Lawrence's body, the recliner, and the shotgun in a metal feeding trough, which he then hid amongst large hay bales on the property. To further the narrative that his stepfather had vanished, Aaron drove Lawrence's truck to a park several miles away and abandoned it. He tried to clean the blood from the living room carpet, but when the stains wouldn't come out, he cut the piece out and burned it.
During the trial, prosecutors painted a picture of a farm in financial turmoil, suggesting a motive rooted in desperation. They presented evidence of dead cattle and farm equipment in a state of disrepair as indicators of the financial stress Aaron was under as the farm's bookkeeper. Though charged with first-degree murder, Aaron Whittle was ultimately convicted of the lesser offense of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to fifty years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of thirty-five years to be served. An appeal of his conviction was later denied.
