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Family and friends of Kirk Blunck, a prominent Des Moines architect who died after being found critically injured at the bottom of a staircase in 2016, sat on one side of a Polk County courtroom on Tuesday as the accused Opening arguments in killer man’s trial. he.
Nearly seven years later, in December 2022, Zachary Allen Gaskill, 33, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in Brunk’s death. Bronk specializes in the renovation of historic buildings and helped pioneer the revitalization of the East Village and Sherman Hill.
Prosecutor Monty Platz said in his opening statement that Gaskill caused Brunk to fall down the stairs of the academic building at 500 East Locust Street, where Brunk had been raped. Brunk was injured and killed after being renovated and having an office there. Meanwhile, Gaskill’s lawyer McAdams claimed Brunk may have been drunk during the encounter, claiming he had at least four glasses of whiskey before the incident.
Shortly before Brunk’s death, Gaskill allegedly tried to enter a locked room on the building’s sixth floor, but he was unable to gain access, Platz said in opening statements. He allegedly made contact with Brunk at 4:11 p.m., shortly before the victim texted his wife “911.”
Bronk died of what the Polk County Medical Examiner determined was blunt force trauma caused by a fall from a height. Platz said a Bernie Sanders campaign staffer spotted him in the building when the incident occurred. Witnesses heard a scream and went downstairs to find Brunk.
The worker told police Gaskill passed them in the hallway and claimed Brunk attacked him, gave a false name, and then fled the scene with a woman holding his arm. Adams said Gaskill admitted he gave the witness a false name because he was on probation and didn’t want to get in trouble with police for drinking.
more: New documents reveal row between Kirk Blunck, accused of murdering architect
Gaskill initially told police that he could not find a bathroom at the Up-Down Bar in the basement, so he entered the sixth floor of the academic building to use the restroom. He claimed he met Brunk behind a locked door on the sixth floor and a verbal exchange ensued, with Brunk accusing Gaskill of trying to break into the room.
Platz claimed Gaskill had different versions of the story, one of which was that Brunk lunged at him with the knife, causing Gaskill to throw him over the stair railing. He claimed family and friends described Brunk as a peaceful man who never got into fights or arguments with anyone.
During his opening statement, Platz also presented records of phone calls between Gaskill and his mother while he was in prison.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s horrifying to be in a room with your family when you kill their father,” Gaskill said in a transcript shown to the jury on a video screen. ” It’s bad out there, like I killed your dad and you want to kill me, I totally understand.”
Jury selection begins Monday. The trial is expected to last five to seven days.
José Mendiola is a breaking news reporter for The Chronicle. Please contact him at jmendiola@dmreg.com.
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