CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A Linn County man charged in a decades-old cold case has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
Michael Schappert, 64, is accused in the 1983 killing of 24-year-old Ronald Novak, who was found beaten and shot to death in his home on Christmas Eve morning. Investigators say Schappert was arrested in Oregon after being linked to the crime through blood and trace DNA found on Novak’s clothing and a hammer believed to be the murder weapon.
Court documents show Schappert waived his right to a public arraignment and submitted a written plea of not guilty. He also waived his right to a speedy trial…