CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The father of Matthew Schleier said Schleier’s mental illness was responsible for him killing his five-year old son.
The boy’s grandfather told the court Wednesday that he believed Schleier was “spiraling further into some type of depression.”
Schleier’s attorney is using an insanity defense in the first-degree murder case. There is no jury as the defense opted for a bench trial in which the judge decides the verdict, which is expected to take a few months.
The defendant admitted to planning his son’s death before strangling him in the morning hours of Oct. 29, 2024.
In the weeks before, Schleier’s father and wife testified that the family had sought increased medical treatment for his rapidly worsening anxiety and depression.
Schleier was on medical leave from his position at UFG in Cedar Rapids. On Oct. 5, he and his wife went to UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital seeking treatment for his suicidal thoughts.
His admission was denied because Schleier did not have specific plans to take his own life, according to his wife’s testimony, which media was not allowed to record.
She said the hospital also discouraged them from seeking treatment for her husband’s mental health at Mercy Medical Center.
They told her “the system is broken.”
Marion investigator and state medical examiner testify
The state rested its case Tuesday morning after witnesses spoke about Schleier’s interviews with Marion investigators and the autopsy performed on his son.
In those interviews, Schleier said he began thinking about killing his children after being prescribed Seroquel, an anti-psychotic drug, after his trip to the hospital in early October.
Schleier said he kept those thoughts to himself because they were scary – adding that he “screwed up” and that it was “all [his] fault.”
Schleier expressed that he thought the way to save his son from his extreme allergies was to take his life.
The investigators asked Schleier if he knew his actions would kill his son and take away his freedom multiple times during the video. In one instance, he responded in the affirmative. In another, he said, “I didn’t think of it during the time.”
He is shown in the video calling his wife after an interview with law enforcement, crying and repeatedly saying he is sorry.
The state questioned his wife and father during their testimony, asking if Schleier was upfront about his obsessive concerns – particularly with his children’s intense allergies, which caused him stress. They said he spoke up about other concerns but never expressed that he wanted to kill the children.
Dr. Rory Deol, associate state medical examiner, provided testimony about the autopsy he performed on Schleier’s son.
Autopsy photos shown as evidence showed bruising on the boy’s neck, burst blood vessels in his upper body, purple bruising to his trachea and internal hemorrhage in his neck. Dr. Deol said this was consistent with manual strangulation and that the manner of death was homicide.
Once the state rested its case, the defense asked for an acquittal of first-degree murder, which the judge denied.
Schleier’s father and wife testify for the defense
The defense first called Schleier’s father, Dr. Gerald Schleier, a dentist, to the stand.
He said his son is “everything you could ask for in a son” and never acted cruelly towards others – detailing his academic and athletic accomplishments.
Dr. Schleier said his son’s anxiety became evident during his time at Wartburg College, where he was pre-admitted to dental school. His son gave up athletics, “imploded” and Dr. Schleier and his wife had to “retrieve him” from college.
Although Schleier eventually attended the University of Iowa and graduated with a business degree, getting jobs in insurance, his father said his anxiety continued to cause issues.
When his mother was diagnosed with ALS, Schleier began to have muscle twitches and sought medical attention to see if he also had the condition.
Once his mother passed, Dr. Schleier said his son became anxious about a kitchen renovation that spread asbestos throughout the home. Even once mitigation efforts were taken, his son still would not visit the home with his wife and children for fear of asbestos-related medical conditions, he said. Dr. Schleier said moved into a new home because he wanted to have his grandchildren visit.
Dr. Schleier, along with his daughter-in-law and his daughter who stayed with the family during the month of October to help, were working to get Schleier medical care as he expressed suicidal thoughts. The family members drove him to appointments in Keokuk and to GuideLink in Iowa City for intervention, where he stayed for five days.
“In your observations on October 28th, what was Matt’s emotional condition?” asked defense attorney Leon Spies, discussing the day before Schleier killed his son.
”Not, not good. I mean he was, he was again, visibly shaking all the time,“ said his father. ”He was distraught, physically subdued. He did not seem with it at all as a person.”
A text from Dr. Schleier to Matthew from the night before showed the father’s concern. He said he was sorry Schleier has “been in so much pain” and that he was praying for a more peaceful night.
“You’ve been so brave. Please just continue to believe with us that you are going to get better. We’re here with you to find a healing way forward,” said the text.
Schleier’s wife took the stand again Tuesday. She said he loved being a dad and that his health took a drastic turn in early September.
He lost weight and had a “gloss over his eyes” – along with developing shaking in his arms and legs. She said it was “really scary because I’d never seen anything like that.”
She said she thinks Schleier killed their son because he couldn’t manage the food allergies.
“I don’t think he could see how they would be okay. He wasn’t thinking clearly and I think he thought this is what he needed to do for some reason,” said Schleier’s wife.
“Was he in his right mind?” asked the lawyer.
“No, I know he was not in his right mind,” said the wife. She explained that she had forgiven him because she knew how much his mental health had declined.
The trial is set to resume Thursday morning with more witnesses for the defense. It is expected to last until Friday. A decision from the judge is not expected at that time.
TV9 wants to remind our viewers and readers about the National Crisis Lifeline. You can call or text 9-8-8. It is accessible 24-7 and connects callers to someone locally who can offer support.
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