The trial of the Cedar Rapids man accused of murdering Chris Bagley has been postponed until next year

Defense asked for more time to prepare for trial

CEDAR RAPIDS – The first-degree murder trial of a Cedar Rapids man accused of hiring two men to kill Chris Bagley in 2018 has been postponed until next year.

The trial of 36-year-old Andrew Thomas Shaw was originally scheduled to begin on November 5, but his lawyers requested a postponement because they needed more time to prepare for trial, court documents show.

Sixth District Judge David Cox granted a postponement on Friday and scheduled the trial for Feb. 4 in Linn County District Court.

In their motion, Shaw's lawyers said they had only recently received “playable” copies of the video evidence in the case.

Shaw also waived his right to a speedy trial.

The public prosecutor did not object to the postponement.

Shaw is charged with first-degree murder, solicitation of murder and conspiracy to commit a crime of violence. He was accused of fatally stabbing 31-year-old Chris Bagley of Walker last October after he was released from a federal prison sentence for marijuana trafficking in Cedar Rapids.

Shaw is accused of aiding and abetting Drew Wagner, 39, and Johnny Blahnik Church, 37, formerly known as Drew Blahnik, between October 1, 2018, and February 20, 2019. Both were convicted in Bagley's fatal stabbing, according to the indictment.

The indictment said Shaw hired the two men to kill Bagley and paid them for the crime.

Shaw remains in jail on $2 million bail until his trial.

During Blahnik Church's trial, Wagner testified that he and Blahnik Church killed Bagley on the orders of their mutual drug dealer Shaw, in revenge for Bagley robbing Shaw of money and drugs and beating him.

In December 2018, Wagner got into an argument with Bagley, threw him against a wall and held him down while Blahnik Church stabbed Bagley multiple times. Blahnik Church took the body to Wagner's house and buried it in the backyard, Wagner testified.

Bagley's body, buried under a pile of wood and a canoe next to Wagner's garage, 4069 Soutter Ave. SE in Cedar Rapids, was dug out of the frozen ground by police on March 1, 2019.

Blahnik Church is serving a 57-year prison sentence for Bagley's murder and also for attacking another inmate while incarcerated at the Linn County Jail.

Wagner, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, assault in the course of a criminal act, conspiracy to commit a violent crime, desecration of a corpse and obstruction of justice, was sentenced to 47 years in prison.

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