The Nation - News from June 2, 1987

Ralph Davis testified in his own defense for a Dec. 10 shooting spree that killed the mayor and wounded two council members in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, telling the jury: “I just wish I’d killed them all.” Davis, 69, whose lawyer is using an insanity defense, testified he committed the shootings because the council repeatedly ignored his request to pay a $350 bill for repairs to his basement from sewer damage. After pursuing every possible legal action, Davis said he headed to City Hall to kill as many council members as he could as revenge for ignoring his request.