Elizabeth Syperda

A trial begins this week for a man charged with murder in a cold case out of Henry County.

Fifty-two year-old Michael Lee Syperda waived his right to a jury trial and plead not guilty for murder in the first degree of his estranged wife, Elizabeth. According to the Iowa Department of Public Safety, in March of 2017 the investigation into the July 2000 disappearance of 22-year-old Elizabeth Syperda was reopened. As officials reviewed the case and interviews, it was classified as a homicide and the Grand Jury returned a true bill of indictment on Michael Syperda on November 29, 2017. He was taken into custody in Colorado and extradited to Mt. Pleasant. District Judge Mark Kruse will determine his guilt or innocence. The trial begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday.