IA IA - Ronald Novak, 24, Center Point, 23 December 1983

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https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/ron-novak/

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Ronald Lee Novak was found shot and beaten to death inside his rural Center Point home on Christmas Eve, 1983.

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/s.../20/gone-cold-ron-novak-kileld-1983/80671294/
 
Now this case is really frustrating.

As the article states his brother found his dead body, the only possible assumption that I can make is that the brother killed him...
 
No answers in the 36-year-old murder of Ron Novak

Sheriff Brian Gardner of the Linn County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) has stated in an e-mail that since it is an active case, they can't give any updates on the progress of the case. What we've asked the LCSO to do (Ron's sisters and myself) is the newer genetic genealogy testing through Parabon Labs. This involves sending in a sample of the DNA found in Ron's case to match it up to the closest relatives found in a public DNA database, like genesis.gedmatch.com, and build family trees to give law enforcement a person(s) name or family in which to focus their investigation.

Has the LCSO submitted the DNA from Ron's case yet? We don't know. And there's no way for us to find out.
 
Trish Mehaffey Nov. 26, 2023
''A case investigated by the sheriff’s office also will be highlighted from 1983; 24-year-old Ronald Lee Novak, of Center Point, was beaten with golf clubs and hammers and shot in the arm.

Novak’s frozen body was found in an unheated storeroom near his home’s back door on Christmas Eve. His hands were tied behind his back. The wind chill was reportedly around 30-below zero and Novak’s three golden retrievers were snuggled up next to him.

Choosing cases​

Denlinger said investigators revisit a cold case when they receive a credible tip, or when a family member or friend of the victim checks in and perhaps provides a new thought about the unsolved murder.

“Some (family members) are like another investigator that may provide some detail that pushes you forward, just at a time you may be ready to give up,” Denlinger said. “Over the years, through trial and error, we’ve kind of developed a protocol for how we get started on new cases.”
Investigator Matt Denlinger speaks with Retired Cedar Rapids Police Lieutenant Kenneth Washburn in Denlinger’s office at the Cedar Rapids Police station in Mount Vernon, Iowa on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)''Investigator Matt Denlinger speaks with retired Cedar Rapids police Lt. Kenneth Washburn in Denlinger’s office at the Cedar Rapids Police Station Nov. 21. Denlinger, Washburn and retired Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation special agent J.D. Smith make up the Cold Case Unit and focus on working those cases every Thursday. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)
Denlinger, who along with retired Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation special agent J.D. Smith and retired Cedar Rapids police Lt. Ken Washburn, make up the Cold Case Unit and focus on working those cases every Thursday.''
 
Investigators say they connected him to the case through blood and touch-trace DNA located on Novak’s clothing and a hammer used in the attack.

According to investigators, someone murdered Novak at his home on Rolling Acres Road about three miles north of Center Point on December 23rd, 1983.

They found his hands tied behind his back and said someone had beat Novak with hammers and golf clubs before shooting him.

Investigators never released a motive, but say he was likely a dealer
 
Deputies arrested 64-year-old Michael Shappert of Fairview, Oregon.

He is charged with first-degree murder and premeditation.

Investigators say they connected him to the case through blood and touch-trace DNA located on Novak’s clothing and a hammer used in the attack

 
1748604945786.webp

'Michael S. Schappert, age 64, of Fairview, Oregon, was arrested for the December 23, 1983 cold case murder of Ronald Lee Novak of rural Walker, Iowa.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LINN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE'

''But Schappert’s neighbors are hoping this is a misunderstanding.
“If he sees this, Mike, we are wishing you well, and we hope it ends up being a mistake because we do care about him as a person,” Reittig said.
Schappert’s extradition hearing is scheduled for Friday. The Iowa Linn County Sheriff’s office says they will continue to investigate who else was involved with this murder.''
 
May 30, 2025 #KATU #Katu2abc #Portland
'An Oregon man charged with murder in connection to a cold case in Iowa appeared in a Multnomah County courtroom Friday, smiling and at one point gesturing to the KATU News camera.Michael Schappert waived his right to challenge extradition in the investigation into a killing in Linn County, Iowa shortly before the Christmas of 1983.Investigators are calling it a home robbery that ended in the murder of Ronald Novak, and they say there may be others who were involved in the crime.At his extradition hearing, Schappert was seen smiling and pointed to his eye, chest, and the KATU News camera—an apparent gesture implying the phrase “I love you.”
 

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