(Radio Iowa) – A jury in Keokuk County has found a Grinnell man guilty of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse. Thirty-one-year-old Steven Vogel was charged in the killing of 44-year-old Michael Williams of Grinnell. William’s aunt, Paula Terrell, talked with reporters after Tuesday’s verdict and says she considers his killing a lynching.  “It’s putting that rope around his neck and holding it for over six minutes, causing his death, is the definition of a hanging. A lynching. A white man lynched a black man over a white woman.” Terrell said.

Investigators have said they do not believe the killing was racially motivated. Terrell says she’s thankful for the guilty verdict. But she still believes this was a hate crime.  “The hate crime law here is very weak. And so we will continue to fight for that even after this verdict,” Terrell said. “Because there was a lot of hatred involved. The medical examiner talked about how he was hung.”

Vogel is scheduled to be sentenced on December 13th.