THE DARK SIDE OF IOWA
Richard Christiansen
#0808217
Full Name: Richard Lee Christiansen
DOB: May 21, 1954
Charge: 1st degree murder
County: Polk
City: Des Moines
Current Status: Unknown
Partner in Crime: Robert Jordan, Jr.
Date of Crime: February 23, 2001
Tentative Discharge Date: Life
Victims: Steven Jenkins & Jeff Johnson
DOB: May 21, 1954
Charge: 1st degree murder
County: Polk
City: Des Moines
Current Status: Unknown
Partner in Crime: Robert Jordan, Jr.
Date of Crime: February 23, 2001
Tentative Discharge Date: Life
Victims: Steven Jenkins & Jeff Johnson
On February 26, 2001, Glenda Chiles entered Jeff Johnson’s house in Des Moines and discovered the bodies of Jeff and her boyfriend, Steven Jenkins. Both men had been shot twice with a shotgun. Jeff had been shot in the lower back and then in the head. Steven had been shot in the shoulder and the back of the head. Both bodies showed signs of decomposition. Four red shotgun shell casings were discovered near the bodies. All four shells had been fired from a twelve-gauge Mossberg shotgun. Steve had last spoken with Glenda on February 23 when he borrowed her car with the understanding he would return it later that evening.
Emily and Mark Tongue were residing in Rockford, Illinois, in 2001. At some point in the year 2000, Emily purchased a shotgun for Mark. Her husband removed the standard stock and installed a pistol grip to make the shotgun shorter. The Tongues stored the shotgun and red shotgun shells in a closet in a bedroom in their home in Rockford. They last saw the shotgun around Christmastime in 2000.
The Tongues were friends with Robert Jordan, Jr. and Richard Christiansen. In early February 2001, Mark left Illinois and traveled to Las Vegas to serve a jail sentence for driving under the influence. Richard arrived at the Tongues’ residence for a visit on approximately February 14. He was driving a stolen white Chevy Lumina. Robert arrived at the Tongues’ residence on or about February 16. Robert and Richard were together in the Tongues’ residence at times when Emily was not present. They left the Tongues’ home on February 18. Emily assumed the men returned to Des Moines.
In February 2001, Glenda lived with Steven Jenkins. Steven and Jeff were friends and fellow drug users. Jeff lived on Summit Street in Des Moines. At about 8:00 PM on Friday, February 23, Steven went out in a car belonging to Glena. When Steven did not return home or call his girlfriend that evening, Glenda left a message on his answering machine. Steven never responded to the message.
On an undetermined night in January or February 2011, Richard went to the Des Moines residence of his friend Mark Hardin, a drug dealer. Because Mark was not home, Mark’s girlfriend, Connie Wilcox, directed Richard to the basement to see James Marts, who was living in Mark’s home. According to James, Richard was “really high, high-strung,” and “buggy-eyed” during his visit. Richard kept pacing back and forth and told James “something had gone bad.” At some point, Richard made statements implicating himself in a multiple murder. Although James could not recall whether he heard these statements from Richard or from James the next morning, James said Richard told him something went wrong, and “I had to kill them,” or “we had to kill them.” Richard also said he was “going to have to kill Connie because Connie knows.”
Later, Mark returned to his residence and joined James and Richard. At some point, James left and drove Connie to her home. When James returned to Mark’s home the next morning, Mark looked scared. James later made a statement to a Des Moines police officer that Richard had said something to the effect that it or something had gone bad, and either “I” or “we” had to kill them.
After Mark Tongue finished serving his jail sentence in Las Vegas, he returned to Des Moines on a bus. He arrived in Des Moines shortly after midnight on February 26. Erika Christiansen, Richard’s wife, picked Mark Tongue up at the bus station and dropped him off at a Motel 6 in Des Moines where Robert and Richard were staying. Later that day, Robert was treated for a toothache by a Des Moines dentist.
Several days later, Robert, Richard, and Mark Tongue drove from Des Moines to the Tongues’ Rockford residence in the stolen Chevy Lumina. The two arrived on March 1. By this time, Richard was in possession of nine-millimeter Taurus semi-automatic pistol.
On March 2, 2001, Richard and Robert robbed a bank in Machesney Park, a city located near Rockford. Robert used a pistol gripped shotgun during the armed robbery. Mark Tongue saw a televised news report about the bank robbery and realized Robert and Richard fit the description of the armed robbers. On March 3, Mark Tongue asked the men to leave his home, and he rented a room for them at the Clocktower Inn in Rockford. Early in the morning on March 4, the police arrested Robert and Richard at the Clocktower Inn. In their motel room, the police discovered a Mossberg shotgun, a Taurus pistol and shotgun ammunition.
During an interview with the police the morning of his arrest, Robert told officers the shotgun used in the bank robbery belonged to him, and he stated he had possessed it “for quite a while.” Robert also admitted he had fired the shotgun before, and he said the thought the shotgun shells in the shotgun were loaded with number four buckshot. The police asked Robert if he was “mentally …prepared to use that shotgun if need be,” and Robert answered, “it would depend on the circumstances.”
Robert told the police he had known Richard for six or seven years, and he referred to Richard several times as his “partner.” Robert admitted he and Richard had stolen the white Chevy Lumina. Robert also admitted he had appeared in the surveillance videotape of the bank robbery. He stated he was the “cover man” during the bank robbery and carried the shotgun. He said Richard was the “money man.”
Eventually, the Des Moines murder investigation led police to the evidence recovered from Robert’s motel room in Rockford. The shotgun used in the Illinois bank robbery and discovered in the motel room at the time of Robert’s arrest was tested by the Iowa DCI Laboratory. A criminalist was able to determine the four shells recovered from the scene of the double homicide in Des Moines in February 2001 had been fired from the twelve gauge shotgun originally owned by the Tongues and seized by police at the time Richard and Robert were arrested for bank robbery. Some of the live shotgun shells found in the motel room in Rockford were identical to the shotgun shells that had been used in the murders in Des Moines eight days earlier. Based on this and other information, Robert and Richard were arrested for the murders of Steven and Jeff.
Following a lengthy investigation, Robert Jordan, Jr. and Richard Christiansen were charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Robert pleaded not guilty but a jury found him guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. A jury found Richard guilty of two counts of first-degree murder also.
Emily and Mark Tongue were residing in Rockford, Illinois, in 2001. At some point in the year 2000, Emily purchased a shotgun for Mark. Her husband removed the standard stock and installed a pistol grip to make the shotgun shorter. The Tongues stored the shotgun and red shotgun shells in a closet in a bedroom in their home in Rockford. They last saw the shotgun around Christmastime in 2000.
The Tongues were friends with Robert Jordan, Jr. and Richard Christiansen. In early February 2001, Mark left Illinois and traveled to Las Vegas to serve a jail sentence for driving under the influence. Richard arrived at the Tongues’ residence for a visit on approximately February 14. He was driving a stolen white Chevy Lumina. Robert arrived at the Tongues’ residence on or about February 16. Robert and Richard were together in the Tongues’ residence at times when Emily was not present. They left the Tongues’ home on February 18. Emily assumed the men returned to Des Moines.
In February 2001, Glenda lived with Steven Jenkins. Steven and Jeff were friends and fellow drug users. Jeff lived on Summit Street in Des Moines. At about 8:00 PM on Friday, February 23, Steven went out in a car belonging to Glena. When Steven did not return home or call his girlfriend that evening, Glenda left a message on his answering machine. Steven never responded to the message.
On an undetermined night in January or February 2011, Richard went to the Des Moines residence of his friend Mark Hardin, a drug dealer. Because Mark was not home, Mark’s girlfriend, Connie Wilcox, directed Richard to the basement to see James Marts, who was living in Mark’s home. According to James, Richard was “really high, high-strung,” and “buggy-eyed” during his visit. Richard kept pacing back and forth and told James “something had gone bad.” At some point, Richard made statements implicating himself in a multiple murder. Although James could not recall whether he heard these statements from Richard or from James the next morning, James said Richard told him something went wrong, and “I had to kill them,” or “we had to kill them.” Richard also said he was “going to have to kill Connie because Connie knows.”
Later, Mark returned to his residence and joined James and Richard. At some point, James left and drove Connie to her home. When James returned to Mark’s home the next morning, Mark looked scared. James later made a statement to a Des Moines police officer that Richard had said something to the effect that it or something had gone bad, and either “I” or “we” had to kill them.
After Mark Tongue finished serving his jail sentence in Las Vegas, he returned to Des Moines on a bus. He arrived in Des Moines shortly after midnight on February 26. Erika Christiansen, Richard’s wife, picked Mark Tongue up at the bus station and dropped him off at a Motel 6 in Des Moines where Robert and Richard were staying. Later that day, Robert was treated for a toothache by a Des Moines dentist.
Several days later, Robert, Richard, and Mark Tongue drove from Des Moines to the Tongues’ Rockford residence in the stolen Chevy Lumina. The two arrived on March 1. By this time, Richard was in possession of nine-millimeter Taurus semi-automatic pistol.
On March 2, 2001, Richard and Robert robbed a bank in Machesney Park, a city located near Rockford. Robert used a pistol gripped shotgun during the armed robbery. Mark Tongue saw a televised news report about the bank robbery and realized Robert and Richard fit the description of the armed robbers. On March 3, Mark Tongue asked the men to leave his home, and he rented a room for them at the Clocktower Inn in Rockford. Early in the morning on March 4, the police arrested Robert and Richard at the Clocktower Inn. In their motel room, the police discovered a Mossberg shotgun, a Taurus pistol and shotgun ammunition.
During an interview with the police the morning of his arrest, Robert told officers the shotgun used in the bank robbery belonged to him, and he stated he had possessed it “for quite a while.” Robert also admitted he had fired the shotgun before, and he said the thought the shotgun shells in the shotgun were loaded with number four buckshot. The police asked Robert if he was “mentally …prepared to use that shotgun if need be,” and Robert answered, “it would depend on the circumstances.”
Robert told the police he had known Richard for six or seven years, and he referred to Richard several times as his “partner.” Robert admitted he and Richard had stolen the white Chevy Lumina. Robert also admitted he had appeared in the surveillance videotape of the bank robbery. He stated he was the “cover man” during the bank robbery and carried the shotgun. He said Richard was the “money man.”
Eventually, the Des Moines murder investigation led police to the evidence recovered from Robert’s motel room in Rockford. The shotgun used in the Illinois bank robbery and discovered in the motel room at the time of Robert’s arrest was tested by the Iowa DCI Laboratory. A criminalist was able to determine the four shells recovered from the scene of the double homicide in Des Moines in February 2001 had been fired from the twelve gauge shotgun originally owned by the Tongues and seized by police at the time Richard and Robert were arrested for bank robbery. Some of the live shotgun shells found in the motel room in Rockford were identical to the shotgun shells that had been used in the murders in Des Moines eight days earlier. Based on this and other information, Robert and Richard were arrested for the murders of Steven and Jeff.
Following a lengthy investigation, Robert Jordan, Jr. and Richard Christiansen were charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Robert pleaded not guilty but a jury found him guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. A jury found Richard guilty of two counts of first-degree murder also.
Source: Justia US Law