It was a cold case murder that stumped police from the small city of Longview, Washington.
For more than three decades, the unsolved murder and robbery kept investigators busy searching for a crack in the case.
But in the end, only the killer himself could solve the mystery.
"We didn't have any suspects."
In 1986, Russell Haines was found robbed and murdered in his room at the Oregon Way Hotel.
There was no shortage of suspects, because the hotel acted as a temporary shelter for low-income men.
But no suspects stepped forward in the killing, and police had little luck tracking down any leads.
"We didn't have any suspects that had sufficient evidence to charge at that point," said police spokesperson Sgt. Chris Blanchard.
"The case was cold for the last 30 years."
It was an especially troubling mystery, because police say Longview has very few unsolved murders.
So everyone was surprised by a new piece of evidence in 2017: a mysterious suspect's admission of guilt, which led police to reopen the case.
"He just wants to right the wrong that he has done."
Longview police learned a man had admitted to killing Haines in Santa Barbara, California, but left the police station before giving a statement.
They tracked down 58-year-old Glenn Adams, and were able to interview him while he was in jail on an unrelated charge.
Adams provided details of the murder, and even offered police a DNA sample, but refused to confess just yet.
"He said he wanted to speak with his brother further before he turned himself in," Blanchard explained.
On Friday, Adams finally turned himself in and gave police the whole story.
In his confession, Adams revealed that he once lived as a homeless drifter.
He was staying at the Oregon Way Hotel at the same time as Haines, and claims he robbed Haines for $400.
Adams alleges that the murder was his way of covering up the robbery.
The confession stunned Haines' family, including his daughter.
"Thirty years in the making, it got solved relatively easily," said Blanchard.
Incredibly, he says Adams' guilty conscience inspired the long-awaited confession.
"He just wants to right the wrong that he has done."
At Adams' first court appearance last week, he said he plans to plead guilty.
Does Adams deserve any credit for confessing?
Here are more surprising cold case stories:
- The FBI will pay you $50,000 to crack this cold case.
- How actor Dylan McDermott helped solve his own mother's cold case.
- Police arrest suspected "Golden State Killer" after more than four decades.
[H/T: KATU]
