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Warren John Nutter

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Warren John Nutter Jr.
Mug shot of Nutter in 1956
Born
Warren John Nutter III

(1937-06-30)June 30, 1937
Freeport, Illinois
DiedDecember 8, 2021(2021-12-08) (aged 84)
Fort Madison, Iowa
Other nameJack Nutter
Known forLongest-serving prisoner in Iowa history (65 years, 9 months, and 28 days)
ConvictionFirst-degree murder
Criminal penalty
Death by hanging (later commuted to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 15 years)
Details
DateJanuary 5, 1956
CountryUnited States
StateIowa

Warren John "Jack" Nutter Jr. (christened Warren John Nutter III;[1] June 30, 1937 – December 8, 2021) was an American convicted murderer who was the longest-serving inmate in Iowa history.

After being convicted of first-degree murder for killing a police officer in 1956 at age 18, Nutter served 65 years, 9 months, and 28 days in the Iowa State Penitentiary, where he died in custody in 2021 at the age of 84.

Early life

[edit]

Nutter was born on June 30, 1937,[2] in Freeport, Illinois,[1] to Warren John Nutter Sr. (1915–2004) and his wife Edith Nutter (née Aumock) (1916–1994). An only child, his parents divorced when he was 11 years old.[3] His father subsequently relocated to California, while his mother remained in Freeport and remarried Roman Schoop, becoming Edith Schoop.[4]

Nutter began having run-ins with the law at a young age, later recalling his first theft was a toy soldier while in grade school. By age 12, he had started smoking and was getting into trouble for staying out late and breaking street lamps. He later explained that he funded his activities with a crowd of local youths by committing a series of petty break-ins.[5] Court records show his early offenses escalated to include stealing from churches, cashing bad checks, setting fire to a landlord's coal bin, stealing mail, and car theft.[6][7][8]

At age 14, Nutter was sent to the Illinois State Training School for Boys in St. Charles, Illinois, for forging checks. After serving seven months, he was arrested for violating his parole when he stole a car and ran away with a girl. This violation resulted in his commitment to a reformatory in Sheridan, Illinois.[5] By early 1956, the 18-year-old was living with his mother and stepfather in Freeport as a parolee of the facility.[6][7]

Murder of Officer Harold Pearce

[edit]

On January 4, 1956, around 1:00 p.m., Nutter—18 years old at the time—obtained a 1954 model car from Myers Ford Sales Co. in Freeport, Illinois, under the pretense of taking it for a test drive. When he failed to return the vehicle, Police Magistrate William Kintzel issued a state warrant charging Nutter with driving a car without the owner's consent, which remained his sole charge in Freeport.[9][10] Nutter later stated his motive was to escape his stepfather and drive to California to locate his biological father,[11] whom he had not seen since 1951.[5]

According to a reconstruction of the events, Nutter drove to Rockford, Illinois, after taking the car. While there, he asked his parole officer for money but was turned down. He then picked up Robert Wright (16) of Rockford and David Jenkins (17) of Forreston, Illinois. Nutter's accounts of his relationship with the boys varied; he was quoted in one interview describing them as "two fellows I knew,"[5] though he later claimed he had not known them prior to the trip.[1] Wright, who was reportedly on probation in Winnebago County, sold the car's spare tire and wheel to secure gas money for their projected trip to California. The teenagers later told investigators they departed Rockford at 2:00 p.m. that afternoon. Later that evening, the group returned to Freeport to pick up two girls they knew: Joan Saur (16) of Rockford and Betty Zwiefel (16) of Freeport.[9][10][12] Police later reported that the group had also attempted to recruit a third girl, identified by officers as Nutter's girlfriend, to join them on the trip to California, but she refused.[13] Reports noted that all five teenagers came from broken homes, had difficult relationships with their parents, and had prior police records.[5]

Without advising the girls of their destination to California,[14][8] Nutter deceived them by telling them to grab a pair of skates and come along for an ice skating trip. The group departed Freeport between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m.[5] They initially stopped at a farm home near Freeport with the intention of robbing it, but they were scared off. Proceeding west along U.S. Route 20 into Iowa, the teenagers burglarized a local gas station in Earlville, Iowa, at about midnight to steal cash, gasoline, candy, a flashlight, and a box of shotgun shells.[14][15] Nutter maintained that Wright and Jenkins committed the burglary while he stayed outside.[11]

At approximately 2:00 a.m. on January 5, Officer Harold Pearce (52) and Patrolman Henry Funk (59) were cruising east on U.S. Route 20 through Independence, Iowa, when they observed the group's westbound car weaving and traveling at high speed. Suspecting a drunk driver,[16] the officers turned their patrol car to give chase, pursuing the vehicle for 8 miles (13 km). The chase reached speeds of over 100 mph (161 km/h)[17] and ended near the west edge of Jesup, Iowa, when Nutter, who was driving the fleeing vehicle,[18] failed to make a turn into the city and drove straight onto a gravel road.[19] The teenagers got out without any resistance and were searched. Pearce returned the three boys to Independence in the squad car, and Funk took the girls in the youths' car, transporting them to the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office in Independence for questioning.[20]

The girls remained in the front office with Pearce while the boys were held in a rear office with Funk. Nutter requested permission to use the restroom, which Funk granted.[21] Once inside, Nutter exited through a narrow second floor window to retrieve a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition from under the back seat of the stolen vehicle.[22] The weapon had been taken from Wright's father and was originally intended for use in the aborted farmhouse robbery; Nutter later stated he retrieved it for the purpose of freeing his companions.[14][16][20]

At around 2:30 a.m., Nutter loaded and cocked the shotgun, reentered the sheriff's office where the girls were, and placed the weapon on a counter facing Pearce. Pearce was seated at a desk with his back toward Nutter. Nutter directed Pearce to draw his service revolver with his left hand and place it on the desk. The officer arose and approached the counter with his gun drawn. Nutter, who later stated he was scared, pulled the trigger, striking Pearce with the full charge in his left chest and killing him instantly.[23]

Nutter attempted to reload the shotgun, but the weapon jammed. Hearing the gunshot, Funk opened the door of the rear office just a crack to investigate. Nutter pointed the shotgun at Funk and ordered him to throw down his weapon.[14] Nutter also shouted to the other two boys to "grab his gun and come with me," prompting them to lunge at Funk. Funk stepped back into the rear room, slammed the door shut on Nutter, and turned on the advancing teenagers with his own gun drawn. Funk warned them, "stay back or you'll die," effectively subduing them. The boys complied, and Funk handcuffed them together before telephoning for help.[24]

Meanwhile, Nutter went to the body of Pearce and retrieved the service revolver from under the officer's arm, where it had fallen. He threw the jammed shotgun down a courthouse stairwell and fled the building. Nutter and the two girls initially fled together but separated once outside the courthouse. The girls hid for a time at a nearby gas station before walking to a park near the courthouse, where they were apprehended by authorities. Nutter's escape prompted a four-hour manhunt involving Buchanan County authorities, the highway patrol, and officials from neighboring counties. At approximately 6:45 a.m., Nutter was apprehended without resistance while hitchhiking along Iowa Highway 150, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south of Independence.[25] At the time of his arrest, Pearce's revolver was found inside Nutter's right pocket.[26]

Trial and sentencing

[edit]

On January 6, 1956, Nutter waived his preliminary hearing when he was arraigned on a charge of first-degree murder and held without bond. At that time, he also signed a statement admitting to the killing of Pearce.[27] Nutter was formally charged with murder on January 9 and initially entered a plea of not guilty on January 19.[28] However, on February 3, Nutter and his defense attorney withdrew the not guilty plea and entered a plea of guilty to the charge of murder. On February 7, during a hearing in open court, Nutter confirmed to Judge Shannon Charlton that he understood the consequences of his guilty plea, waived his right to a jury trial, and offered no defense. The court continued the hearing through February 8 to examine witnesses and determine the degree of the offense. The State presented eleven witnesses, while the defense presented three, including Nutter himself, and entered a lengthy handwritten confession into evidence.[14] Following the proceedings, Judge Charlton ruled the crime to be murder in the first degree. Charlton had the decision to choose between life imprisonment or death.[29] On February 10, 1956, he gave the youth the maximum penalty, sentencing Nutter to be hanged,[30] with his execution date scheduled for February 18, 1957.[31]

Wright and Jenkins were transferred to a jail in Manchester, Iowa, to face trial for burglary and larceny of a gas station. On January 19, 1956, they escaped by breaking through the roof of the jail building and fleeing in a stolen county car.[32] They were recaptured the following day at Wright's home in Rockford. On January 21, the two youths pleaded guilty and were each sentenced to 11 years in the men's reformatory in Anamosa, Iowa, for burglary, jailbreaking, and stealing a county car.[33][34]

Following the killing, Zwiefel and Saur were initially held in the Independence jail as material witnesses.[35] Both girls later testified at a hearing to determine the degree of Nutter's guilt.[36] Following their testimony, they were committed to the Geneva State Training School for Girls in Illinois. Zwiefel was turned over to the Illinois Youth Commission by a county judge in Freeport, while Saur was committed as a delinquent by a juvenile court in Rockford.[37]

An appeal of the death sentence to the Iowa Supreme Court was filed on Thursday, April 26, 1956, by Nutter's attorney, Joseph Thornton.[38] In his filings to the high court, Thornton argued to have the sentence set aside, contending that the initial information filed against Nutter failed to charge a "willful" act and that there was no evidence of deliberation. Furthermore, Thornton argued that the death penalty was excessive, emphasizing that psychiatrists had diagnosed Nutter with a "mental complex." However, no formal claim was made that Nutter was legally insane in a way that would excuse the act.[14][39]

The case was officially brought before the Iowa Supreme Court on December 11, 1956.[40] However, the court failed to rule by January 15, 1957, and as a result, Nutter was granted a temporary stay of execution because the state could not proceed with the hanging on the originally scheduled date of February 18. The court indicated that the next date for decisions would be February 5.[41]

On February 5, 1957, the Iowa Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling upholding Nutter's death sentence. Addressing the defense's legal arguments, the court ruled that Iowa law recognizes only one crime of murder with varying gradations, and that the charging document's use of the phrase "deliberately, with premeditation and malice aforethought" sufficiently established first-degree murder. In rejecting the plea for leniency, the high court characterized the killing of Pearce as a "ruthless and vicious" crime. The justices noted that they acted strictly as a court for the correction of errors and lacked the authority to exercise pardoning power, stating that commutation did not belong to their department of government. Because the court's ruling occurred close to the originally scheduled execution date of February 18, the state moved the date back, as Nutter was granted an automatic 30-day period in which to petition for a rehearing.[14][42]

On March 5, 1957—the deadline of that 30-day window—Thornton formally asked the Iowa Supreme Court for an extension until April 5. The high court granted a partial extension, giving the defense until March 18 to file the petition for a rehearing.[43] If the rehearing was denied, Nutter was expected to formally ask Governor Herschel Loveless to commute the death penalty. The governor had already stated that he would give serious consideration to such a plea.[44]

On April 5, 1957, the Iowa Supreme Court officially reaffirmed Nutter's death sentence, formally exhausting his judicial appeals. The final decision then fell to Loveless, who possessed the authority to either commute the sentence to life imprisonment or set a new execution date.[45]

On April 8, 1957, Loveless announced the commutation of Nutter's sentence to life imprisonment. In his official statement, Loveless revealed that he had requested transcripts and thoroughly reviewed the case within days of taking office, leading him to pre-draft the commutation papers. Explaining his decision, Loveless cited the boy's youth and difficult family background, stating that "there is a basic responsibility beyond that of the individual." He also noted that a review of state records showed life sentences being imposed for murders involving greater premeditation and brutality. Emphasizing that the commutation did not condone the crime, Loveless stated, "A sentence of life imprisonment for one so young will in some respects constitute a more serious penalty than immediate release through death. The final judgment rests with a much higher authority than myself."[46]

Imprisonment

[edit]

Nutter began his sentence on February 10, 1956, on death row at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, Iowa. At the time of his sentencing, he was scheduled to be the second-youngest person to be hanged in the state's history. Upon his arrival, a confused Nutter mistakenly believed his execution was imminent. He later recalled, "Either I didn't hear the judge right or else he said the wrong year when he sentenced me to die Feb. 18. I thought it would be eight days after I got here. The chaplain put me right and told me I had a year to go."[47]

In a February 1957 interview with the United Press, Nutter noted that his family visitation had been minimal; his mother visited infrequently, his stepfather refused to enter the prison to see him, and his biological father only contacted him to send a Christmas package.[48] On April 8, 1957, the governor officially commuted Nutter's sentence to life imprisonment. Nutter learned of his commutation through a radio broadcast—a detail he later recounted in a 2017 interview—though he did not receive official notification until the following day.[49]

Starting in 1971, Nutter began making appearances before the state parole board.[1] During this period, he was transferred to a minimum-security, "no-bars" prison camp, where he expected to eventually receive parole. However, this prospect was abruptly cut short following a major policy shift in January 1975, when Ronald Wayne Brewer—an inmate serving a life sentence at the Anamosa State Penitentiary—committed a double murder while out on a prison-sponsored furlough.[50] In the aftermath of the tragedy, Iowa correctional authorities returned Nutter and all other lifers in the state system to secure, behind-bars facilities, severely restricting their chances for future commutation.[51]

In 1985, prison officials—who supported his commutation due to his positive disciplinary record—submitted his file to Governor Terry Branstad. However, Branstad denied the request after reviewing records indicating that Nutter was reloading his weapon to fire again during the killing. Nutter remarked on the decision to The Des Moines Register, stating, "He's thinking if he lets me out he won't get elected again."[52]

By September 1998, Nutter had become the longest-serving inmate in Iowa history, having spent 42 years in the system. At age 61, he was housed in a cell block designated specifically for "honor" lifers. Reflecting on the physical and psychological toll of his decades of confinement, Nutter remarked, "I came in here when I was 18, and I still feel 18 inside... But I know I'm getting older outside. I go out and walk around the track, play a couple sets of tennis and wake up in the morning and feel like I'm 93 years old." Though he acknowledged that he would likely die in custody, he expressed a sense of community within the walls, stating, "This is like we're in our own little community. Everybody I know is in the penitentiary."[51]

In a June 2006 interview with The Gazette, Nutter reflected on the killing, stating, "I know I killed a police officer. That's the worst crime." He characterized the incident as "not a planned murder" and expressed remorse, adding, "I'm sorry I did it. I can't change that." Regarding his long-term incarceration and personal growth, Nutter remarked, "I know people can change. I know I have changed."[53]

Nutter died at the age of 84 on the morning of December 8, 2021, in a hospice room at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, Iowa. He had been housed in the facility's hospice unit due to a chronic illness.[54]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 "Tell the governor I want to go home sometime". The Des Moines Register. January 25, 1976. p. 3. Retrieved July 12, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Bill Puts Ban On Hanging Any Under 18". The Des Moines Register. January 24, 1957. p. 3. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Youth Thanks Loveless for Sparing Him". The Gazette. April 9, 1957. p. 19. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  4. ↑ "2nd Youngest to Get Iowa Death Sentence". The Des Moines Register. February 11, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 ""Policeman's Slayer, 19, Due To Be 2nd Youngest To Hang"". The Des Moines Register. February 10, 1957. p. 12. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Boy Doesn't Know Why, He Shot, Killed Officer". Carroll Daily Times Herald. January 6, 1956. p. 8. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Spare Boy in Death Row, Iowa High Court Is Urged". The Des Moines Register. December 12, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "A death sentence 65 years late". The Gazette. December 21, 2021. p. 6. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  9. 1 2 "Freeport 18-Year-Old Kills Iowa Policeman". Freeport Journal-Standard. January 5, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Freeport 18-Year-Old Kills Iowa Policeman". Freeport Journal-Standard. January 5, 1956. p. 7. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Nutter Still Hopes His Life Will Be Spared". The Gazette. February 7, 1957. p. 9. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  12. ↑ "'Love story:' Three women want to marry prison lifers". The Des Moines Register. April 17, 1977. p. 53. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Slayer, 18, and Pals in Iowa Jail". The Des Moines Register. January 6, 1956. p. 3. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "State of Iowa v. Warren John Nutter, Jr". February 5, 1957. Archived from the original on July 13, 2026. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  15. ↑ "2 Teen-Agers Flee Manchester Jail". The Gazette. January 19, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Dragnet Nabs Parolee After Officer Slain". Iowa City Press-Citizen. January 5, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Was Nabbed In Iowa With 4 Teen-Agers". The Des Moines Register. January 6, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Freeport Youth In Solitary Confinement". Freeport Journal-Standard. January 7, 1956. p. 5. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Killer Nutter Awaits Fate". The Courier. February 7, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  20. 1 2 "Independence Police Officer Slain". The Courier. January 5, 1956. p. 2. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Nutter, Girls Tell Of Murder". The Morning Star. February 8, 1956. p. 9. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Youth Slays Iowa Policeman; Seized Following Manhunt". The Evening Telegram. January 5, 1956. p. 2. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Slayer, 18, and Pals in Iowa Jail". The Des Moines Register. January 6, 1956. p. 3. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Parolee, 18, Arrested, Slays Cop". Buffalo Courier Express. January 6, 1956. p. 4. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Nab Illinois Youth Who Killed Cop After Arrest". The Journal Star. January 5, 1956. p. 40. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Man who killed officer in 1956 dies in prison". The Gazette. December 10, 2021. p. 7. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Young Slayer Guarded in Solitary Cell". The Morning Star. January 7, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Nutter Given Mental Test at Independence". The Gazette. January 23, 1956. p. 15. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Youth Given Death Sentence". Morning Advocate. February 11, 1956. p. 2. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Heading For The Hangman". Quad-City Times. February 11, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Nutter To Hang For Murder". Freeport Journal-Standard. February 10, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Iowa High Court To Hear Nutter Appeal in December". The Morning Star. October 23, 1956. p. 7. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Nutter's Murder Trial Set Feb. 14". The Morning Star. January 31, 1956. p. 5. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  34. ↑ "Nutter, Girls Tell Of Killing". The Morning Star. February 8, 1956. p. 2. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Iowa Cop's Slayer Not Wanted Here". Rockford Register Star. January 7, 1956. p. 2. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Young Slayer Of Policeman To Be Hanged". Palladium-Item. February 12, 1956. p. 19. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Young Slayer To Be Hanged". The Morning Star. February 11, 1956. p. 2. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
  38. ↑ "Killer Of Iowa Cop Appeals Death Order". Rockford Register Star. April 26, 1956. p. 2. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  39. ↑ "High Court To Review Case Of Youth Sentenced To Hang". Iowa City Press-Citizen. December 11, 1956. p. 10. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  40. ↑ "Youth's Execution Up To High Court". The Daily Nonpareil. December 11, 1956. p. 16. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  41. ↑ "No Action by Court; Nutter Granted Stay". The Gazette. January 15, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  42. ↑ "Death Penalty Sustained for Police Slayer". The Belleville News-Democrat. February 5, 1957. p. 9. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  43. ↑ "Nutter Rehearing Delay Is Granted". The Gazette. March 5, 1957. p. 10. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  44. ↑ "Nutter Appeals To Iowa Court For Rehearing". The Dispatch. March 15, 1957. p. 26. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  45. ↑ "Court Refuses To Save Young Slayer". Quad-City Times. April 6, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  46. ↑ "Youth Saved From Gallows". Des Moines Tribune. April 8, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  47. ↑ "Policeman's Slayer, 19, Due To Be 2nd Youngest To Hang". The Des Moines Register. February 10, 1957. p. 9. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  48. ↑ "Cop-Killing Teenager Sits In Death Row, Hoping His Life Will Be Spared". Pittston Gazette. February 8, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  49. ↑ The Fort: 177 Years of Law & Punishment at the Iowa State Penitentiary. 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  50. ↑ "Couple Found Dead In Home At Anamosa". The Des Moines Register. January 31, 1975. p. 1. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  51. 1 2 "No letup for prison lifers in final years". The Gazette. September 13, 1998. p. 11. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  52. ↑ "After 62 years in silence, woman wants her father's story told". The Des Moines Register. December 11, 2017. p. 1. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  53. ↑ "Number of lifers in Iowa is rising". The Gazette. June 4, 2006. p. 15. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  54. ↑ "Iowa's longest serving prison inmate dies at age 84". Associated Press. December 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
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