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Authorities have made an arrest in a Linn County cold case that's more than 40 years old.
The Linn County Sheriff announced that 64-year-old Michael Schappert was taken into custody in Oregon, charged with first-degree murder in the death of 24-year-old Ron Novak of Center Point.
Novak was found dead inside his home by a friend on Christmas Eve of 1983, with his hands bound behind his back, blunt force injuries and a gunshot wound to the chest.
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.
Sheriff Brian Gardner said Schappert and others likely went to Novak's home to rob him of money and drugs.
Schappert is awaiting extradition back to Iowa.