A Lee County man has been charged with the murder of a Fairfield man.

According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, after a seven-month-long investigation into the death of 47-year-old James Merlin Nelson, charges were filed September 22 against 35-year-old Joseph Mayorga Jr. for murder in the first degree. Nelson’s body was found at a Lee County roadside park near Wever in February. An autopsy determined Nelson was killed by a single gunshot to the head. Lee County Sheriff Stacy Weber says early into the investigation Mayorga became a suspect.

Mayorga is being held at the Lee County Jail and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 3rd.

Agencies assisting in the investigation include the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation; Des Moines, Henry, and Muscatine Sheriff’s Offices, Iowa State Patrol, Southeast Iowa Narcotics Task Force, Burlington Police Department, Iowa State Fire Marshal’s Office, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Fairfield Police Department, Iowa DNR, Intel Bureau, University of Iowa Decedent Care Center; and the Lee, Des Moines, Henry, and Jefferson County Attorney’s Offices.