ESTHERVILLE, Iowa (AP) — A jury has found northwest Iowa man guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of an Emmet County man. Sioux City television station KTIV reports that the verdict was for a lesser offense than the first-degree charge prosecutors had brought against 19-year-old Lee Christensen. Christensen was found guilty in the June 2015 shooting death of 19-year-old Thomas Bortvit at the Christensen farm in the Estherville area.

Defense attorneys acknowledged that Christensen killed Bortvit, but argued that it was a killing in the heat of passion over Bortvit’s girlfriend, whom Christensen had once dated. Prosecutors said Christensen planned the killing and tried to cover up his crime. Christensen’s sentencing is set for Sept. 16, when he faces up to 50 years in prison.