By Denise Lana,
After sentencing, Aaron Whittle was escorted out of the courtroom by a Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Deputy. As family members and friends of victim Larry Whittle exited the courtroom and passed Whittle, he faced the wall and hung his head. (Dirftless Multimedia photo by Denise Lana)
First published in the May 11 Public Opinion Newspaper.
Aaron Whittle, the 44-year-old Decorah resident who was convicted in early March 2023 of second-degree murder in the shooting death and burning the body of his stepfather, received a 50-year prison sentence May 3.
Larry Whittle was shot and killed by Aaron in the late night of March 17 or early morning of March 18, 2022.
Aaron testified he and Larry were engaged in a face-to-face argument in the middle of the night when Larry threatened Aaron with a shotgun. According to Aaron, the gun accidentally went off as he struggled with his stepfather, and Larry was shot in the face at close range. Aaron then burned Larry’s body and went to extensive means to cover up Larry’s death by saying Larry was missing.
Several days passed before Aaron caved and admitted his role in the death and disappearance of Larry. Scant remains of Larry were recovered in a large metal feed trough, hidden under and behind numerous hay bales on the family’s cattle farm. Aaron was found guilty in early March of second-degree murder, and an appeal for a new trial was denied in late April.
Judge Laura Parrish, the presiding judge throughout the trial and sentencing, gave Larry’s family members the opportunity to share their victim impact statements with Aaron and the court. Three statements were submitted in writing, with four family members opting to take the stand and address Aaron face-to-face.
Bonnie Wagner, Larry’s youngest sister, spoke first, looking at Aaron as she expressed how proud Larry was of Aaron when Aaron decided to join Larry on the family cattle farm. Wagner’s sadness was written across her face as she told the court how Aaron’s actions were devastating to her family. “The brutal death Larry suffered at the hands of a trusted son is difficult to think about,” she spoke. Referring to Aaron, she added, “He ruthlessly murdered Larry. He has not shown any remorse for his actions. I am grateful Larry never knew what Aaron was really like.”
Gary Whittle, Larry’s younger brother, also spoke to Aaron and the court. Gary explained that he had worked for decades with Larry and later, Aaron, on the Whittle’s farm, and shared that Larry was always bragging about Aaron and the great job Aaron was doing at the farm. According to Gary, “Even the day he (Larry) came up missing, he was bragging Aaron up.” Gary wrapped up his brief but poignant statement by saying about Aaron, “I don’t know how somebody can sit up here and lie. I guess he’s going to the right spot.”
Next to address the court and Aaron was Larry’s little sister Eileen Curtain. Her emotional words summed up her pain and loss as her gaze fixed on Aaron. “We have so many questions we will never have answers for. Larry thought the world of you, i only wish you thought the same of him … I hope every morning that you awaken and when go to sleep at night you are reminded of the terrible things you did and the pain and suffering you have caused our family. We welcomed you into our family as one of our own, and I am sorry it had to end this way.”
Larry’s youngest brother, Alan Whittle, was the last to speak, taking the stand and directing his brief words at Aaron. “I began working at the farm when you were about five years-old. I did a lot of the same jobs you did, I helped raise you. I can’t see how you can do something like this to Larry and to us, just reflecting back on all the years I have known you … He (Larry) gave you a full life until you decided to change that.”
When all the victim impact statements had been shared, Judge Parrish gave Aaron the opportunity to address the court in kind, but he declined.
Judge Parrish sentenced Aaron to 50 years in prison, explaining that a second-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of 50 years in prison, with 35 years required to be served before being eligible for parole. In addition, Aaron will have to pay $8,172 to the Crime Victim Compensation Program, $150,000 to the estate of Larry Whittle, pecuniary damages (amount yet to be determined) to the victim, and $2,795 for labor to the forensic anthropologist and autopsy fees. The judge summarized the sentencing by expressing, “Circumstances of this killing were egregious, especially with the defendant’s action afterward.”
Aaron will receive credit for 13 months prison time served since his arrest in 2022. Immediately after sentencing, Aaron did not show any emotion, his face remaining blank as he was handcuffed and escorted out of the court and building by a sheriff’s deputy. Aaron was immediately transported via sheriff’s patrol car to the Iowa Medical Classification Center Correctional Facility in Coralville Iowa, where he will stay for up to six weeks before being assigned a permanent prison where he will stay for the remainder of his sentence.
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