Attempted murder trial testimonies tell of rapid escalation of near-fatal shooting
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The attempted murder trial for Dewey Perdue began Tuesday at the Marshall County Courthouse.
Perdue, 70, of Marshalltown, was arrested in Bondurant in Sept. 23, 2025 after being considered at-large and wanted in connection to the Sept. 20, 2025 shooting of two people – Jose Arrendondo and Juan Lopez. Arrendondo was shot seven times with bullets striking his stomach, hand and foot.
Marshall County Attorney Jordan Gaffney called forward Arrendondo and Lopez to testify in front of the 12-person jury on Wednesday. Lopez's wife, Morena, also gave testimony. With the help of a Spanish interpreter, the three painted a picture of what started as an argument between neighbors and ended with shots being fired.
According to testimonies, the relationship between Perdue and the Lopezes, his East Main Street next-door neighbors, had been friendly during the six years leading up to the event. Morena said Perdue did not say anything unkind and would occasionally help them with lawn care. However, she said he did call the Marshalltown Police Department a few times to complain about the loud music coming from the Lopez home.
On the day of the shooting, Arrendondo brought his pickup to Lopez's house so they could make repairs. Pictures from the scene show the truck in the driveway, with several empty bottles of Pacifico beer on the ground.
When Perdue's defense attorney, Jessica Donels, asked Arrendondo and Lopez about the amount of alcohol they consumed before the incident, they responded with a number of three to five beers each. Pictures show 10 Pacifico bottles on the ground, and one more on the hood of Arrendondo's truck. Also pictured was another bottle of beer and empty cans of Michelob Ultra and Budweiser. Lopez said the non-Pacifico beers had been left in his driveway two weeks prior to the incident.
Lopez testified that the September 2025 altercation happened quickly. Perdue asked Lopez to turn the music down. Lopez called Perdue to his property despite giving him prior warning not to set foot there again. Lopez admitted he threw the first punch, hitting Perdue in the face and knocking his glasses off. He said he did that because Perdue was too close to him. In prior testimonies, Lopez said he quickly saw Perdue's eye swelling. The shots were fired shortly after, striking both Arrendondo and Lopez.
Morena, who was taking a shower when the fight and shooting occurred, told the jury her husband did become aggressive when he drank alcohol but repeatedly stressed that Lopez had gained control of his drinking.
Perdue is charged with two counts of attempted murder, which are class B felonies carrying a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. He is also charged with willful injury causing serious injury, a class C felony with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $13,660 fine. Perdue is also facing two class D felonies – willful injury causing bodily injury and going armed with intent which carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,245 fine.
The trial is expected to continue today.
Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.