Jacob Hilgendorf confesses to killing his mother’s boyfriend in a recorded phone call

Jurors in the first-degree murder trial of Jacob Hilgendorf heard a recorded phone call Tuesday of the defendant admitting to his brother that he killed Curtis Bailey in July 2009.

“I made a big mistake,” Hilgendorf, 21, of Belle Plaine, said calmly in the phone call made after he was arrested for Bailey's murder. “I killed Curt.” Later in the call, he says it wasn't his intention and continues to apologize to his brother.

Hilgendorf is accused of being part of a conspiracy to kill Curtis Bailey, 33, of Marengo, with his mother Denise Frei, 45, of Marengo, and his friend, Jessica Dayton, 20, of Belle Plaine, on July 19, 2009 at Bailey's Marengo home. Bailey was beaten with a rock and other objects. He died from blunt force trauma to his head.

Dayton was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder last April and is serving life in prison and Frei is charged with first-degree murder and will stand trial after her son in this case.

The trial continues 9 a.m. Wednesday in Scott County District Court. The case was transferred to Davenport as requested by the defense. The trial is expected to last through next week.

Hilgendorf's brother Derek during the recorded call tells him he understands because Bailey beat their mother and “deserved it.” Hilgendorf then tells him he thought he removed evidence from his car but police found some.

Quint Meyerdirk, one of Hilgendorf's defense attorney's, asked Iowa County jailer Shawn Stephen, who introduced the recording, on cross if Hilgendorf made all these statements in front of him.

Stephen said he did.

Meyerdirk then asked if Hilgendorf said on the call if Dayton and his mother were involved in the killing.

Stephen said no.

Johnson County Chief Public Defender Peter Persaud asked the jurors in his opening to listen carefully to Hilgendorf's confession and what police say. Hilgendorf does admit to hitting Bailey with a rock and takes full responsibility for it without involving Dayton or Frei.

“Listen carefully to this,” Persaud said. “Scrutinize what is said. Wait until you see everything. Hold off on judgement until you hear our case.”

Assistant Attorney General Douglas Hammerand in his opening statement said the jury would hear testimony that Hilgendorf confessed to the crime more than once and they would learn details of a plan he participated in with Frei and Dayton to get Bailey drunk and kill him.

Hammerand said the plan included luring Bailey to his death with promising a  ménage a trois with Frei and Dayton went south when Bailey awoke and started a struggle with Hilgendorf who arrived after the sex games.

In other testimony, a friend of Dayton's testified Dayton told her about helping “D,” who is Denise Frei, kill Bailey because “he's evil” and a friend of Hilgendorf's testified he told her on July 18, 2009 that he wanted to see Bailey dead and wanted him out of his mother's life.