Authorities say Luke Truesdell, an Iowa man on trial for a quadruple homicide in November 2025, beat each victim to death with a metal pipe in a detached outbuilding. According to the prosecution, he later confessed that he did it because he “wanted it to be a movie.”
Truesdell, 36, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder stemming from the June 5, 2024, attack on a property in rural Linn County, Iowa. Prosecutors say the victims—Amanda Parker, 33; Romondus Cooper, 44; Keonna Ryan, 26; and Brent Brown, 34—were ambushed and bludgeoned in what authorities describe as a calculated mass murder.
Despite receiving emergency medical care, Brown, who survived the initial attack, succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital and was pronounced dead two days later. First responders declared all the other victims dead at the scene.
Truesdell’s “movie” comment
Updated 3699 E Otter Rd homicide news release attached, providing victim identities and updated charge information. This investigation continues. pic.twitter.com/7HxpmVDsu8
— LinnCountySheriff (@LinnIASheriff) June 6, 2024
Reports say cameras on the property captured Truesdell and his father arriving at the scene of the crime before the killings, and how the victims’ behavior changed just before they entered the barn where their bodies were subsequently found.
Forensic testimony revealed bloodstains on the pipe and on Truesdell’s clothing that matched the victims’ DNA profiles, linking him directly to the quadruple murders. Truesdell’s father has not been charged with any crimes.
Truesdell: I’ll never do it again
The fourth victim, Brent Anthony Brown, died from his injuries from last week's incident at 3699 E Otter Rd. Luke Truesdell is now charged with four counts of 1st Degree Murder. pic.twitter.com/uBGHsrtxZu
— LinnCountySheriff (@LinnIASheriff) June 9, 2024
According to several news reports, prosecutors argued that Truesdell’s motive was that he fantasized about being the central figure in his own true-crime narrative.
When police questioned Truesdell following the June 5, 2024, killings, investigators say he made a series of incriminating statements about what occurred inside the outbuilding on the Linn County property. During the interview, he allegedly indicated that three victims were already dead when officers arrived or soon after the attacks, while a fourth was still alive.
During questioning, Truesdell reportedly told investigators he’d been under the influence of methamphetamine earlier that day, and he made statements admitting involvement in the killings.
Truesdell’s only known connection to the victims appears to be through Cooper, who allegedly supplied him with methamphetamine. Investigators have found no connection between Truesdell and the other victims.
According to courtroom testimony, Truesdell told investigators, “I’ll never do it again. I feel so much better.” Some of those statements — including the movie comment — have been challenged in court because a judge determined he was not read his Miranda rights on time
His defense team sought to have the trial moved permanently out of Linn County, arguing that intense media coverage had tainted the local jury pool. The judge denied the request, ruling that an impartial jury could still be seated.
As of November 12, 2025, the trial is ongoing. On Monday, November 10, 2025, prosecution witnesses presented the surveillance video and forensic testimony linking Truesdell to the scene. Testimony continued, including additional questioning of Lieutenant Todd Egli of the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, who was part of the investigative team. If convicted of first-degree murder on all counts, Truesdell faces automatic life in prison under Iowa law.
