Former Charles City Resident Charged with Murder of New Hampton Man Pleads Not Guilty

A former Charles City resident, accused of killing a New Hampton man last fall, has pleaded not guilty and his trial date has been set for next month.

26-year-old Sayvonne Jordan of Elma faces a first-degree murder charge, a Class A felony, in the death of 30-year-old Jonathan Esparza, who was last seen leaving New Hampton to visit a friend in Elma on October 20th. Jordan allegedly killed Esparza the same day.

Court records show a search warrant was executed at Jordan’s Elma residence on November 30th and human remains were located on the property, which the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office determined to be those of Esparza.

Jordan also faces charges of going armed with intent and abuse of a corpse, both Class D felonies. Monday, he pleaded not guilty to all charges and demanded a speedy trial, which has been set for March 29th in Howard County District Court.

Jordan is being held in the Howard County Jail in Cresco on a $1 million cash bond.