Hansen trial continued to Oct. 8

The trial of Thomas Lee Hansen has been continued for a fourth time. The new trial date is Oct. 8 and the pretrial is set for Sept. 21. Hansen, 71, is charged with the first-degree murder of Sharon Kay Gerot, who was 54 when she died on May 1, 2011. The two were living together at 1355 Deer Run Drive south of Riverside at the time of Gerot?s death.

Hansen?s trial was originally scheduled for Jan. 24. It was rescheduled for April 17, then June 12 and then Aug. 21. Washington County Attorney Larry Brock, who will prosecute the case on behalf of the State of Iowa, said the reason the trial was continued a fourth time was because the trial date of Aug. 21 conflicted with the defense counsel?s schedule.

Hansen is represented by John Robertson, a public defender in Iowa City. Robertson?s co-counsel is Dennis Cohen. Brock said that Cohen already has a trial scheduled to start Aug. 6 and run for 12 days, which was a conflict for him. Oct. 8 was the first date that worked for all the parties.

Brock said he understands the need for the continuances.

?The public defender?s office is pretty overworked,? he said. ?They deal with Class A and Class B cases in Washington County, and then they deal with the cases in Johnson County, too. They?re assigned to major cases, and those cases usually go to trial. They don?t have enough funding, so they?re under a crunch. They could use more attorneys, too.?

According to the affidavit of Washington County Investigator Chad Ellis, the Washington County Safety Center received a call at 3:43 p.m. Sunday, May 1, from a man who identified himself as Todd Hahn. Hahn told dispatch that he witnessed a subject who had been shot and that a male subject told him that he shot the subject. Hahn told dispatch the address, and law enforcement and an ambulance responded. Upon arrival, they found a female body lying outside of the residence at 1355 Deer Run Drive. Law enforcement also made contact with Hansen at that time.

Hansen made statements to law enforcement indicating he had shot Gerot, according to Ellis?s affidavit. Hansen indicated he and Gerot had been arguing ?on and off? that day. Shortly before the incident, Gerot left the residence to work in the yard. Hansen went into the three-car garage attached to the house, where he retrieved a semiautomatic handgun. Hansen unholstered and chambered the weapon. He returned to the residence through the kitchen and approached a glass door leading to the back yard.

Ellis wrote in his affidavit: ?Upon seeing Ms. Gerot riding a lawn mower in an open field behind the residence, Defendant raised the weapon, fired a shot towards Ms. Gerot, which struck and killed her.?