CEDAR RAPIDS – Police say an Iowa man was brutally beaten, stabbed or cut after an argument and lost his life, and after 15 years of investigating, they now claim the suspect who did it is in custody.
Cedar Rapids Police Investigators have arrested Curtis Padgett (age 42) of Cedar Rapids for the 2007 death of Dennis First. Investigators say Padgett killed First by beating and stabbing or cutting him following an argument sometime between May 10 and May 11, 2007.
Dennis First, (age 64 at the time of his passing) was found deceased in his apartment at 2249 C St SW, Cedar Rapids, on May 11, 2007. His death was investigated as a homicide but no arrests were made at the time. CRPD investigators continued pursuing the case and evaluating new leads and evidence over the next 15 years.
On February 28, 2023, Curtis Padgett was charged with harassment in an unrelated incident in which, reportedly, he told a woman he may burn a building down.
Days later, an additional charge of first-degree murder was submitted.
Padgett remains in custody at the Linn County Jail.