The Iowa Court of Appeals has denied the appeal of a former Charles City man who was convicted three years ago of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse.
Sayvonne Jordan was found guilty of killing Jonathan Esparza of New Hampton at Jordan’s residence in Elma, and then cutting up the body with an axe and setting it on fire in 2022. Court information shows Jordan found Esparza on a surveillance camera stealing several pounds of meth from his home.
Jordan appealed his conviction on procedural issues and though he was at the scene, there is not substantial evidence he committed the crimes. The Appeals Court ruled issues handled by the court did not impact the outcome of the trial, and there was substantial evidence supporting Jordan’s convictions.
A Howard County jury found Jordan guilty in November 2023.
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