Klindt finds new life, career at taco stand
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By David Heitz | Wednesday, November 22, 2006 |
John Schultz/QUAD-CITY TIMES James Klindt, who served 20 years in prison for murdering his wife, Joyce, learned how to cook while in prison and now runs a taco stand called Eats and Sweets at 4th and Howell streets in Davenport.
He murdered his wife, spent two decades in prison and lost his chiropractic license. He went from living in a beautiful home called a “castle” by some to moving in with his parents.
And now, James Klindt is in the taco business.
The man who spent more than a year in the Quad-City spotlight for murdering and dismembering his wife now seeks quiet. He has found it in a tiny eatery at 4th and Howell streets in Davenport, called Eats and Sweets.
“Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to own that place,” he said of the nondescript building, which formerly housed Skipper’s Popcorn Palace. “I learned to make tacos from the Hispanics while I was in the joint.”
Working eight out of the 20 years he spent in prison as a cook taught him a new skill, which he is using as he tries to rebuild his life. He knows that some people never will give him a chance, but he is proud of what he has accomplished since his release almost three years ago from the North Central Correctional Facility in Rockwell City, Iowa.
“I cooked for the State of Iowa under (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) inspectors daily,” he said. “I cooked for the wardens, for the dignitaries that they brought in, for guards, for everybody.”
Klindt was convicted of second-degree murder in 1984 in the slaying of his wife, Joyce Klindt. He originally was sentenced to 50 years, but the sentence was automatically cut in half, and he received credit for good behavior.
As he took a break from preparing tacos and stuffed his towering frame into a reporter’s Ford Taurus for an interview, Klindt became serious when asked whether he is remorseful. He said he is, adding that he sent his wife’s family a letter, asking for forgiveness.
“I apologized for the act, and I apologized for the lies,” he said. He never heard back from them.
Klindt said he occasionally talks to his son, Bart, who is a chiropractor in Kentucky.
“He and I have a great rapport. He’s got a big practice and is more successful than I was.”
These days, Klindt spends a lot of his time caring for his parents, Dick and Geraldine, who are in their 80s. He lives in their home, which is near Eats and Sweets. He said his father bought the taco stand for him.
“I’m their primary caregiver, and I’m not open all the time because of that,” he said.
Jason Morris of Davenport, who regularly orders from Klindt’s taco stand, said he wasn’t aware of the taco maker’s history until recently.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Morris said. “If our justice system works correctly, then he’s done his time and he’s free to do what he wants.”
Scott County Attorney Bill Davis, who prosecuted Klindt, said he is happy to see him gainfully employed.
“I assume because of his reputation that it would be difficult to hold a job with someone else,” Davis said. “Because of his notoriety, it would become disruptive in the business place. But having that notoriety and owning a business where you’re trying to attract people might come in handy.”
Klindt said he does not get recognized very often, and when he does, most people accept him for who he is. But not always.
Last summer, Klindt said he went to a Davenport bar and someone demanded he be kicked out of the place.
“It was just so vicious, pure hate. I didn’t understand it. I did leave.”
For the most part, Klindt said he leads a quiet life and seldom leaves the house except to run the taco stand. “I don’t do much.”
Sometimes he feels lonely, he said. He’s not dating anyone.
“Considering what happened to the woman who was with me, it doesn’t make for good dating,” he said.
Although he could have gone somewhere other than the Quad-Cities after his release from prison — a place where no one knows him, perhaps — he said he never considered it.
“Why run from something?” he asked. “I was a state champion hurdler. I was a stand-up member of the community. The old friends I’ve run into have been wonderful.”
Klindt said he has thought about reapplying for his chiropractic license, but does not want to spend the money just to be turned down.
“It’s $250, nonrefundable, and they might say, ‘No.’ I know I’m a chiropractor. If they don’t, that’s their problem.”
In the meantime, Klindt has been selling a lot of tacos. Six go for $6. Goat cheese is 75 cents extra per three tacos. Sometimes, he sells out.
“He definitely has the best tacos on this side of the river,” said Scott Smith of Rock Island.
Added Jeff Barker of Eldridge, Iowa: “The food’s good, cheap, what the hell, everybody deserves a second chance.”
Klindt appreciates that kind of sentiment.
“If you try me once, usually you’ll be back,” he said. “I have real loyal customers. They won’t go anywhere else.”
David Heitz can be contacted at (563) 383-2202 or dheitz@qctimes.com.
Klindt case
About the case — Joyce Klindt, wife of Davenport chiropractor James Klindt, was reported missing by friends and family in March 1983. A month later, fishermen found a torso in the Mississippi River in Bettendorf. Officials determined the torso was cut by a chain saw. The blood type of the torso matched Joyce Klindt’s blood type. Genetic markers, the precursor to DNA evidence, confirmed the torso was Joyce Klindt’s. James Klindt was charged with first-degree murder.
Time in prison — On Dec. 21, 1984, James Klindt was sentenced to 50 years in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder. Prosecutor Bill Davis, Scott County attorney, estimated he would serve considerably less than that. In July 1992, Klindt confessed to the crime from his prison cell. He told the Fort Dodge Messenger that he killed his wife in self-defense, throwing a pool ball at her when she pointed a gun at him.
Released — On March 13, 2004, James Klindt was released from prison, five days shy of the 21st anniversary of Joyce Klindt’s disappearance. He returned to the Quad-Cities, and today operates a drive-up taco stand on West 4th Street.
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