By Associated Press - Tuesday, December 12, 2017

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A 60-year-old Des Moines man has been found guilty of killing a woman in March by hitting her 23 times with a blunt object.

The Des Moines Register reports that a Polk County jury on Monday found James Russell Walden Jr. guilty of first-degree murder in the beating death of 45-year-old Sheila Keenan.

Officers who were sent to the apartment late the night of March 6 found her body.

Authorities say Walden was still in the apartment cleaning his hands when someone walked in and saw him. Investigators say Walden told the person he “had to knock her out, because she was in my pockets.”

Walden was arrested by police just outside the building.

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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com

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