Background: News footage of Nathaniel Bevers-McGivney in court (KCCI). Inset: Michele “Luna” Jackson (Laufersweiler Funeral Home).
An Iowa man who was caught riding a green scooter that belonged to a missing teenage girl was convicted of her murder and his attempt to hide her body in a garbage can.
Nathaniel Bevers-McGivney, 22, was convicted of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse by a judge on Wednesday months after the body of Michele “Luna” Jackson, 17, was found in a garbage can in Farnhamville, around 80 miles northwest of Des Moines. During the trial, members of Jackson”s family recalled becoming concerned when the teenager failed to come home from a local park on the night of Sept. 22, 2024.
They later came across Bevers-McGivney, who was riding Jackson’s green scooter. One of Jackson’s shoes was in the scooter’s basket, covered in blood.
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According to courtroom reporting by local CBS affiliate KCCI, Jackson’s mother, sister, and her sister’s boyfriend went searching for her in the area. They found Bevers-McGivney, who was riding Jackson’s trademark scooter and claimed that it was his. He later claimed he had just found the scooter.
Jackson’s mother called 911 during the confrontation with Bevers-McGivney, and the audio was played in the courtroom as evidence. The call included the moment she told dispatchers that she found her daughter’s bloody shoe in the scooter’s basket.
Also shown in court was cellphone video taken by Jackson’s sister during the 911 call her mother made. In the video, the boyfriend of Jackson’s sister can be seen holding a gun at Bevers-McGivney. They testified that they held Bevers-McGivney at gunpoint until police arrived.
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According to court documents obtained by KCCI, Bevers-McGivney was “covered in apparent blood” when Jackson’s family members found him. McClatchy News reported that according to authorities, the teenager’s blood was found at Bevers-McGivney’s home in his bathtub, on the floor, and on a towel and clothing.
Those documents stated that Jackson was stabbed around 22 times and the blade of the knife that Bevers-McGivney used to kill her was stuck in her back. The handle of the knife was found in the garbage at his home.
Jackson’s body was found in a garbage can by a worker the next morning. The garbage can was rolling around the park where she was known go on the swings and listen to music.
Bevers-McGivney waived a jury trial and was convicted of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse by District Court Judge Derek Johnson. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 15.
