Cedar Rapids police make arrest in 2011 cold case

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - A California man faces several charges including murder for a case from 2011 in Cedar Rapids.

Mykel Roberts, 29, from Modesto, also faces charges of attempted murder and going armed with intent.

Police said Roberts shot Dexter Meeks at 211 15th Street southeast just before 3 a.m. on June 26, 2011.

In a release, officials said Andrew and his brother Dexter Meeks were sitting on the porch of an apartment building at that location when a person stopped in the street and began shooting a handgun at them. Andrew was able to get inside the main door of the building, but Dexter was struck in the head by a gunshot and fell in the entryway.

Andrew Meeks was the only witness, but he was unable to identify the suspect. Neighbors in the area told police they heard gunshots, but no one reported having seen the incident.

Officials said that by 2012, despite investigators having followed up all reasonable leads, a suspect had still not been identified.

In March 2020, the Cedar Rapids Police Department’s Cold Case Unit was contacted by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department in Modesto, California, about an inmate attempting to confess to the 2011 murder.

Officials in Stanislaus County worked with investigators with CRPD, including interviews with Roberts, to confirm the confession.

Following the investigation, the Linn County Attorney’s Office filed the charges of Murder in the First Degree, Attempted Murder and Going Armed with Intent.

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