Friend found man dead on Christmas Eve in 1983, Iowa cops say. Now arrest made
More than four decades after a man was found dead by a friend, an arrest has been made in his cold case slaying, Iowa deputies say.
Michael S. Schappert, now 64, of Fairview, Oregon, was arrested on May 28 in the 1983 slaying of Ronald Lee Novak, the Linn County (Iowa) Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Ronald Novak,” Sheriff Brian Gardner said in the release. “We recognize the pain and trauma that Mr. Novak’s loved ones have endured for more than 40 years while his murder went unsolved.”
Friend finds Novak dead
On Christmas Eve in 1983, a friend found Novak, 24, dead inside an unheated room inside a home in rural Walker, deputies said.
Novak, whose hands were “bound behind his back,” had been beaten and shot in the chest in what was believed to be was believed to be a “robbery and/or burglary,” deputies said.
The medical examiner determined Novak died from his “injuries, shock and hypothermia,” according to deputies.
For decades, Novak’s case remained cold, deputies said.
DNA testing helps ID suspect
By testing “blood and touch/trace DNA” found on Novak’s clothing and a hammer thought to have been used in the attack, it pointed investigators to Schappert, deputies said.
Working with Parabon Nanolabs, deputies said they used genetic genealogy research to ultimately identify Schappert as a suspect in Novak’s killing.
Genetic genealogy uses DNA testing coupled with “traditional genealogical methods” to create “family history profiles,” according to the Library of Congress. With genealogical DNA testing, researchers can determine if and how people are biologically related.
Deputies said they learned “Schappert and others likely went to Novak’s home with the intent to rob him of money and marijuana.”
Schappert faces a charge of premeditated first-degree murder, deputies said.
He was booked into jail in Multnomah County in Oregon and will be extradited to Iowa to stand trial, deputies said.
“I want to thank the deputies who initially investigated this heinous murder and who had the forethought and training to properly collect and safeguard the evidence located at the scene,” Gardner said. “I also want to thank the deputies who continued to diligently pursue leads and new technologies in this case throughout the years that ultimately led to Michael Schappert’s arrest.”
As Novak’s case remains open, deputies ask anyone with information to contact them at 319-892-6100.
Walker is about a 25-mile drive north from Cedar Rapids.
This story was originally published May 29, 2025 at 12:49 PM with the headline "Friend found man dead on Christmas Eve in 1983, Iowa cops say. Now arrest made."
