Though tours of the original Iowa State Penitentiary are no longer offered, the massive limestone structure on Fort Madison’s riverfront continues to stir curiosity—especially when it comes to the infamous names behind its bars. One name visitors often ask about? Warren John Nutter—the man who became Iowa’s longest-serving inmate.

Nutter's story begins in January 1956. Just 18 years old and passing through Iowa in a stolen car with four other teens, Nutter’s path took a tragic and violent turn in the small town of Independence. After a high-speed chase, he and his companions were taken to the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office. While being held there, Nutter escaped through a small restroom window, retrieved a shotgun from the stolen vehicle, and returned to the courthouse. Inside, he fatally shot Independence Police Officer Harold Pearce, who left behind a wife and two young daughters.

Nutter was quickly captured and sentenced to hang at Fort Madison’s gallows—the same ones used throughout the penitentiary’s long and complex history. At the time, he would have been the youngest person executed in Iowa in 50 years. But in April 1957, Iowa Governor Herschel Loveless commuted Nutter’s sentence to life in prison, stating that a life behind bars might serve as the heavier burden.

And what a life sentence it became. Nutter spent more than 65 years behind the walls of the Iowa State Penitentiary. He died in 2021 at age 84 in the facility’s hospice unit, having lived through generations of change both within and outside the prison walls.

His case left a lasting impression on many, including the prosecuting attorney, William G. Klotzbach, who later became a district court judge and a lifelong opponent of the death penalty.

Though the old prison is closed to the public, stories like Nutter’s remain a stark reminder of its role in Iowa’s justice system—and a powerful testament to the lives, crimes, and consequences woven into its stone walls.