AP/Hunter
06/23/20
One of the men charged in the stabbing death of a man who was found buried at a Cedar Rapids home pleaded guilty to lesser charges in court Monday.
Thirty-four-year-old Drew Wagner pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and four other charges in the December 2018 death of Chris Bagley. He faces up to 37 years in prison when he’s sentenced. Wagner originally was charged with first-degree murder.
The Gazette reports that Wagner also pleaded guilty in a separate case to possession with intent to deliver marijuana, and failure to affix a drug stamp. Sixth Judicial District Judge Christopher Bruns will decide at sentencing whether those convictions, which come with up to a ten year prison sentence, will run separately or concurrently with the other charges.
Bagley’s body was found buried at a home in southeast Cedar Rapids on March 1st of last year. A second suspect, Drew Blahnik, is awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges.
Part of the plea deal is that Wagner will testify against Blahnik when his case goes to trial in February. Another man is charged with obstruction and abusing a corpse and a fourth man is serving a jail sentence on a connected drug case.