Detectives solve 1984 West Seattle murder

SEATTLE -- More than 30 years later, police say they have identified the person who fatally shot a man in a West Seattle alleyway.

Seattle police said Tuesday that 36-year-old Michael Vanderpool was found with a gunshot wound to the chest in the early morning hours of May 5, 1984.

At the time, detectives interviewed Gary Tolliver, who police say ran in the same methamphetamine circles as Vanderpool, but they weren't able to gather enough evidence to arrest him.

This year, Detective Rolf Norton reviewed the cold case file and tracked down the witnesses. Norton says Tolliver admitted to several people that he had killed Vanderpool and disposed of the weapon.

Tolliver died in 2013, but police have officially identified him as the suspect in Vanderpool's murder and closed the case.

Read more from our news partner The Seattle Times >>