Man stabs 17-year-old to death and dumps body in trash can, Iowa officials say
Michele “Luna” Jackson had a routine.
The 17-year-old would borrow her mother’s green electric scooter and go to a nearby park where she would sit on the swings and listen to music.
On the night of Sept. 22, however, her mother grew worried when Jackson didn’t return home, Iowa court documents said. Jackson’s sister went searching, by herself and then with her mom, but they didn’t find Jackson. Instead, they saw Nathaniel Bevers-McGivney riding the electric scooter, court documents said.
Her mom called 911, and her sister called her boyfriend, according to court documents.
Once he arrived, the sister and her boyfriend confronted Bevers-McGivney, and he gave “conflicting explanations” for why he had the scooter, according to court documents. Then, the mom noticed Jackson’s bloody shoe in the scooter’s basket.
The boyfriend then held the man at gunpoint until police arrived, court documents said.
The next morning, a worker found Jackson’s body in a rolling trash bin near the Farnhamville park, officials said.
Blood pooled in the garbage can, according to officials, and the teen had stab wounds and lacerations all over her body.
On July 9, Bevers-McGivney was convicted of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, according to the verdict.
Bevers-McGivney’s attorney did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on July 10.
“(Jackson) brought joy to those around her with her love for Minecraft, virtual conversations with friends, and her love for swinging in the park and passion for music,” her obituary said.
The man slit the girl’s throat with a knife while she was at the park and stabbed her at least 22 times in the chest and back until the blade got detached and got stuck in her back, according to court documents.
Bevers-McGivney took the knife handle back to his apartment and threw it in his own garbage, according to officials. Jackson’s blood was found on the floors of the residence, in the bathtub, on a white towel and on the man’s clothes.
He left his apartment and put Jackson’s body in a trash can, then rolled it away from the park to a cornfield, officials said.
His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 15.
Farnhamville is about an 80-mile drive northwest from Des Moines.
