Iowa Double Murder Solved After Three Decades

Iowa Double Murder Solved After Three Decades

The double murder and robbery case of an elderly couple in Waterloo, Iowa, shocked the entire community three decades ago. Due to the absence of evidences, the case remained unsolved until a 66-year-old man walked into a police station and confessed on Wednesday of the grizzly crime.

Jack Wendell Pursel, the man who confessed of murder, appeared in court today for an initial appearance, where a judge raised Pursel's bail from $500,000 to $2 million for shooting Richard Huntbach, 85, and wife Goldie, 77.

On Wednesday, Pursel, who lived in South Gate, California recently, told Waterloo police the perfect details about the crime only somebody involved with it would know, said Capt. Tim Pillack of the Waterloo Police Department.

"He just wanted to get it off his mind," Pillack told ABCNews.com. "He knew of the family. He said his intention was to go in and rob them and kill them."

A friend alerted the police on January 12, 1981 after the Huntbachs didn't answer their door.

The elderly couple was found tied up, gagged and shot to death, and their home had been ransacked.

After the murder, Pillack said authorities interviewed many people, including Pursel himself, but weren't able to make any arrests.

Soon after, Pursel moved to California, where he was indicted with two counts of oral copulation with a minor, according to California's sex offender registry.

Months after the Waterloo killings, Pursel began serving a 21-year sentence for the two sex offenses; however, he was paroled in 1992. He was completely discharged from his sentence in September of 1995.

After three decades, Pillack said he's glad the Waterloo Police Department can put the cold case to rest.  "We were able to put someone in jail and close the case. It's a great day," he said.

Pursel is being held in the Black Hawk County Jail and is charged with two counts of first degree murder. His scheduled preliminary hearing is on May 18.

Posted by James Fried on Sunday May 13 2012, 1:27 PM EST. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Nation. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0