Iowa murder suspect pleads not guilty in bike trail death

CLIVE, Iowa - An Iowa man pleaded not guilty Monday in the case of a man found dead near a bike path over the weekend, reports CBS affiliate KCCI.

Steven Jonas, 49, of Clive, was arrested late Sunday evening and charged with first-degree murder in the death of 21-year-old Zachary Michael Paulsen. According to the station, Paulsen's body was found Saturday morning lying against a fence by volunteers working to clear brush along the town's Greenbelt Trail.

The fence was on the property of a business - Paulsen and Sons Contractors - owned by the victim's family, KCCI reports. Family members had identified the man before officers arrived at the scene.

Clive Police Chief Michael Venema said Paulsen suffered blunt force trauma after being attacked with an unspecified object.

Jonas and Paulsen were both regulars at Tapz Pub, located just over a mile away from where the victim's body was found. Police said both men were at the bar the night before the Paulsen's body was found. Officers interviewed multiple witnesses at the bar who said the victim left around 2 a.m. that night, according to the station.

Authorities said it was apparently common for Paulsen to leave the bar and stay at his family's business.

Venema said officers interviewed Jonas after the body was discovered, and that the suspect initially denied any knowledge of Paulsen's death. Jonas reportedly had a facial injury, and Venema said police did not completely buy his account of how he got it. The suspect was then called in for a second interview, during which the chief said Jonas admitted to going to the business and fighting with Paulsen. He also allegedly admitted to killing the 21-year-old.

Jonas pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday morning, KCCI reports. He is being held in the Polk County Jail pending bail of $500,000.

An autopsy on Paulsen's body was scheduled for Monday. Authorities hope it will determine the victim's exact cause and manner of death.