Jurors found Ames resident Patrick Lee Curns guilty of first-degree murder on May 2 after a two-week trial.

Curns, 44, 3507 Lincoln Way #26, was convicted of the Aug. 25, 1999 murder of Samuel J. Kingery. The murder occurred in the University Mobile Home Park where Curns lived.

Curns was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

Before the verdict was announced, a new trial was requested by defense attorney Julia Keifer. The request came after Assistant County Attorney Angelina Newman used a statement Curns made during his police interrogation in her closing arguments. The motion was denied by Judge Timothy J. Finn.

The investigation was conducted by the Ames Police Department, the Iowa Division of Investigation, the ISU Department of Public Safety and the Story County Attorney’s Office.