On Thursday, November 11, 2021, at approximately 2:40 p.m., the Ottumwa Police Department received a 911 call from the resident of 105 N. Hancock reporting that someone had been stabbed in the alley behind the residence. Police arrived at the scene and found a male victim with multiple stab wounds. The victim was identified as Gerald William Sapp, age 55, of Ottumwa. Sapp was a guest at this residence and was working on a vehicle just off of the alley behind the 105 N. Hancock address.
Witnesses at the scene identified the assailant and the location that the assailant was believed to have gone after the assault. Police subsequently established a perimeter around 110 N. Weller, while officers processed the crime scene in the alley, and applied for a search warrant for the Weller Street address. At approximately 7:42 p.m., officers entered the residence and found the suspect hiding inside a closet. The suspect was transported to the hospital for an evaluation. Officers did recover potential evidence of the crime as a result of the search. On Friday, November 12, 2021, at approximately 3:58 a.m., officers arrested Douglas Raymond Spurgeon, age 42, of 110 N. Weller. Spurgeon was charged with Murder 1st Degree, a Class “A”
