Man Turns Himself in, Confesses to 32-Year-Old Cold Case Murder

A suspect confessed to a 32-year-old cold case murder and turned himself in because he felt he had to “right the wrong that he had done.”

Glenn Adams, 58, entered Cowlitz County Hall of Justice in Kelso, Washington, on Friday and confessed to murdering Russell Haines in 1986, the Daily Mail reported.

Shortly after Adams made his confession, police arrested Adams and charged him with one count each of first-degree murder and robbery.

Police found Haines strangled to death in his hotel room 32 years ago. They suspected Haines had been ambushed and robbed, but authorities did not have any leads in the case and it went cold.

Adams had been living at a temporary shelter for low-income men at the time of the killing, but nobody had witnessed it and police did not pin down any suspects.

Adams told officers that while he was living at the shelter, he found himself in need of cash and knew Haines stockpiled large amounts of it. The 58-year-old said he waited until Haines got back from the grocery store before choking him until he blacked out.

Once Haines regained consciousness, Adams said he used a piece of cloth to strangle his victim before fleeing the scene with $400 in cash.

“Thirty years in the making, it got solved relatively easily,” Sgt. Chris Blanchard, a spokesperson for Longview Police Department, told KATU. “We didn’t have any suspects that had sufficient evidence to charge at that point. The case was cold for the last 30 years.”

Before Adams turned himself in, he was homeless and divided his time between Washington, Oregon, and California.

He attempted to confess his alleged crimes in July 2017 when he went to the police station in Santa Barbara, California, but left before officers could interview him.

“He just wants to right the wrong that he has done,” Blanchard said.

Adams stated in his first court appearance on Monday afternoon that he intended to plead guilty, but the judge would not allow him to make his plea until he had an attorney representing him. The court then assigned Adams a public defender.

Adams is currently being held without bond and is set to make his next court appearance on Thursday.