August 2023 conviction of Lansing man on second-degree murder charges recently affirmed by Iowa Court of Appeals

Andrew Karvel will continue serving his 50-year prison sentence for May 2022 strangulation of Daniel Lundy

The August 2023 conviction of a Lansing man found guilty of second-degree murder in the May 2022 death of his roommate has been affirmed by the Iowa Court of Appeals, according to documents filed within the State of Iowa Judicial Branch. An appeal was filed on behalf of Andrew Raymond Karvel, now age 68, two months after an Allamakee County jury found him guilty of strangling 83-year-old Daniel William Lundy in the home they shared at 650 South 2nd Street in Lansing.

Following investigation into the May 9, 2022 death of Daniel Lundy and the ruling of Lundy’s death as a homicide, Karvel was arrested August 21 of that year on charges of first-degree murder. At the end of a three-day trial one year later, a jury of Allamakee County residents ultimately found Karvel guilty of second-degree murder, but prior to the trial, First Judicial District Judge Alan Heavens ruled that a prior conviction of Karvel on an assault committed against Lundy would be admissible at trial.

After the jury’s verdict, Karvel initially moved for a new trial, claiming the State of Iowa prosecution did not disclose evidence that would have benefited Karvel’s case, that the weight of the evidence did not support the jury’s verdict, and that the verdict form was improper and prejudicial. Once his request for a new trial was denied based on the district court finding no merit in any of his arguments, Karvel then filed an appeal, arguing there was insufficient evidence to support the verdict and that the district court abused its discretion by admitting evidence of Karvel’s prior bad act and by denying his motion for new trial.

That appeal process took just over one year before the Iowa Court of Appeals filed its affirmation of the conviction on the charge of second-degree murder December 4, 2024. An application for further review was then filed on behalf of Karvel December 24, 2024 with the Iowa Court of Appeals ultimately denying that application January 27 of this year and following that denial with a more recent ruling of Procedendo, meaning the district court can follow through on its conviction and sentencing rulings first determined in the case.

In rendering its affirmation ruling, the Court of Appeals addressed each of the three elements of Karvel’s appeal individually before considering them as a whole to determine its final ruling. Those three elements included admission of the prior simple assault evidence, the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction, and the denial of his motion for new trial. Within each of those three challenges, there were further elements broken down and considered by the court.

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