MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa (AP) - A trial has begun in southeast Iowa for a Colorado man accused of killing his estranged wife who disappeared nearly 18 years ago.
The trial for Michael Syperda, 58, began Tuesday, The Hawk Eye reported . He was charged in December with first-degree murder in the disappearance of Elizabeth Syperda. Henry County District Court Judge Mark Kruse will hand down the verdict because Michael Syperda waived his right to a jury trial.
Prosecutors said Michael Syperda repeatedly threatened and stalked his wife. He also violated a no contact order and had a prior felony assault charge against her, they said.
There is no evidence tying Michael Syperda to his wife’s death, said public defender Kym Auge.
“The state is not going to be able to provide evidence to prove the allegations against Michael Syperda, much less beyond a reasonable doubt,” Auge said.
The pair met when Michael Syperda and his family moved to California, said Donna Forshee, Elizabeth Syperda’s mother.
“She started babysitting their two kids when she was 13,” Forshee said. “She then started spending nights at the Syperdas … which I didn’t like.”
Her daughter dropped out of high school when she was 17 and moved with the Syperdas to Iowa to be their nanny, Forshee said. Michael Syperda’s then-wife divorced him a few years after the move. He later married Elizabeth.
Sara Beckman said Elizabeth Syperda moved in with her after Michael Syperda became abusive. Beckman said she was the last person to see Elizabeth Syperda before she disappeared.
Elizabeth Syperda was 22 when she disappeared in July 2000 in Mount Pleasant. Her body was never found. The couple had been estranged for about a month prior to her disappearance because she was leaving him for a woman, according to court records.
Michael Syperda is in Henry County jail on a $1 million bond.
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Information from: The Hawk Eye, http://www.thehawkeye.com
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