(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Court of Appeals has denied the appeal of a Howard County man who was convicted of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse. Sayvonne Jordan of Elam was found guilty of killing Jonathan Esparza of New Hampton, 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 procederal 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