Man confesses to 1981 double murder in Waterloo

WATERLOO, Iowa - After keeping a secret for more than three decades, a California man confessed to killing a Waterloo couple in their home as part of a robbery, police said Wednesday.

The bodies of Richard and Goldie Huntbach were discovered shot to death Jan. 12, 1981 at their home at 311 W. 10th St. After the initial investigation, detectives ran out of leads, and the case went unsolved.

Then on Tuesday Jack Wendell Pursel, a 66-year-old former Waterloo resident, showed up at the Waterloo Police Department and said he wanted to talk about the crime.

In the interview that followed, Pursel admitted to the slayings. Officers said Pursel provided details that only a person involved in the crime would know.

"He just came in off the street and wanted to get this off his chest," said Dan Trelka, director of safety services for the city of Waterloo. "This is a once in a lifetime."

Trelka said Pursel knew the Huntbach family and may have dated a relative around the time of the crime. "At one time, he was one person of several persons of interest," Trelka said.

Pursel had been interviewed but then moved to California where he remained until only recently when he returned to Iowa. Pursel is being charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

He is being held in the Black Hawk County Jail on $500,000 bond.