A man found guilty in the cold case murder trial of Henry County woman 22-year-old Elizabeth Syperda has been sentenced to life in prison.

According to court records 53-year-old Michael Syperda was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for a conviction of murder in the first degree in the death of his estranged wife. The investigation of the July 2000 disappearance of Elizabeth was reopened in March 2017, and in November 2017 a Grand Jury indicted Michael for first degree murder and he was extradited from Colorado. District Court Judge Mark Kruse found Michael guilty as the defendant waived his right to a jury trial. Michael motioned for a new trial which was overruled and denied by Kruse Thursday. Michael is in custody at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Oakdale. Elizabeth’s body has never been found.