Jeff Charis-Carlson

jcharisc@press-citizen.com

An Iowa man who had long been suspected in the 1985 slaying of his wife’s lover was charged with first-degree murder Thursday after investigators took a fresh look at the case.

Anthony W. Burtch, 57, was arrested without incident Tuesday morning at his home and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Lance Lee DeWoody, according to information provided Thursday in a joint news conference with the Johnson County Attorney’s Office, the Coralville Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

DeWoody, of North Liberty, was shot in the head and neck at a picnic shelter on the north side of the Oakdale campus on Aug. 12, 1985, or Aug. 13. Campus employees found DeWoody’s body shortly after sunrise Aug. 13, 1985, near the campus’ general hospital parking lot. His pickup was found parked about 70 yards away.

Over the course of the investigation into DeWoody’s death, officials determined that DeWoody had been dating Burtch’s now ex-wife, and the pair had spent the evening of Aug. 12, 1985 together. Shortly after Burtch's wife returned home to Burtch that night, officials said he went out for about 90 minutes. It's during this time that officials say he killed DeWoody.

Burtch’s lawyer, Clemens Erdahl, said his client will plead not guilty to the charges. He also said Thursday’s news conference “contaminated the public impression of the case.”

“It seems to me it was bad form for them to do that and compromise the possibility of a fair trial,” Erdahl said.

When asked about a motive for the killing, Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness wouldn’t provide any further details than her initial statement.

“If you look at my statement in terms of the relationship between Mr. DeWoody and the defendant’s now ex-wife, that may give you some indication,” Lyness said.

Coralville Police Chief Barry Bedford said Burtch has been a “person of interest” in the case since the beginning. In the time leading up to DeWoody’s death, officials said, witnesses recall Burtch stating that he was going to kill DeWoody.

The case had been revisited several times over the decades but took on renewed interest a few years ago when one of the original investigators, now retired, offered to help review it. The DCI provided additional staffing.

Gone Cold: Lance DeWoody, killed in 1985

In January, DCI agents interviewed Burtch and were able to obtain a sample of Burtch’s DNA to compare with DNA found at the crime scene. At that time, according to the statement, Burtch said he would “get buried on the sciences of this thing.”

Citing the ongoing investigation, Lyness would not say what new evidence or information had come to light to enable officials to obtain a court order for the DNA, nor would she confirm whether there was a DNA match.

DeWoody's family members were not present during Thursday's news conference, but they did issue a statement to be read aloud.

“We understand that the arrest and upcoming trial of Tony Burtch will not bring Lance back to us,” the statement reads, "but it gives us some solace to know that he is being held accountable for his action."

Lance DeWoody's father struggled to find closure

In an interview four years ago, DeWoody’s father, Carl DeWoody, told the Press-Citizen that DCI investigators initially told him many times his son simply had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but the father had his suspicions about the homicide.

Carl DeWoody said then that his son had been dating a woman in 1985 who was separating from her husband. His son had given the woman a few hundred dollars to begin the divorce proceedings, Carl DeWoody said, but turned up dead before it was finalized.

DeWoody grew up in Olin, where he played football in high school and the trombone. He had moved to North Liberty and was working in a local factory at the time of his death. DeWoody’s mother died in 2009.

Burtch has lived in Iowa City since DeWoody’s death, officials said, and has worked as a cashier for the city's parking department.

He is being held at the Johnson County Jail on a $1 million cash or surety bond.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Reach Jeff at 319-887-5435 or jcharisc@press-citizen.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jeffcharis.