Mike Emert was a realtor who was murdered by a prospective client in a house he was showing. Circumstances of the case suggested that this was a some sort of hired hit and the "client" who Mike had met but did not know, set up the showing in an isolated house where he would not be seen or heard.
The initial investigation turned up no real suspects and there did not appear to be any obvious motive. Mike appeared to be a fairly successful but otherwise ordinary realtor with no known enemies or serious rivals. The only evidence was some blood found in Mike's car that was not his. During the initial investigation, no DNA match could be found in any data base.
In 2011, a match was found that had recently been entered into CODIS. The DNA belonged to Gary Krueger, a former Seattle Cop who had done federal time for bank robbery. Unfortunately, Krueger had died the year before. He drowned in Lake Washington while trying to get away from a botched home invasion.
It turned out, Krueger was the prime suspect in no less than 4 other homicides in the Pacific North West going back to 1981. They are:
1) The murder of Ex-cop/gas station owner Terry Dolan in February 2, 1981. Apparently Krueger was a POI all along but was never arrested for the crime.
2) The 1984 stabbing of Bellevue attorney, Jim Barry February 7, 1984. Apparently Barry represented a bank in its collection efforts and Krueger owed money to that bank. Was that a motive for murder? It is not clear how Krueger was linked to the crime.
3) Onetime Seattle union boss Mario Vaccarino, 61, head of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees union Local 8, was killed Oct. 24, 1985. Apparently Krueger told someone he did it for a friend who worked for that union and was about to be fired by Vaccarino. There is indication that that friend is now dead.
4) Cheryl Grose, missing since 1991. She simply vanished from a Tigard, Oregon hotel. Turns out her husband Tom Grose, prime suspect, was lifelong friends with Gary Krueger who was best man at their wedding.
The killing of Mario Vaccarino was very similar to the killing of Mike Emert.
The FBI has been investigating other North West Cold Cases for possible ties to Krueger. The Mike Emert murder is solved to the extent it is known who killed him, but the greater mystery is the motive and the identity of the person who presumably arranged for Kreuger to do the killing.
At this point, no one has been identified who either had a motive to want Mike gone nor has anyone with ties to Mike been linked to Krueger. However, It is most probable that there was somebody out there with the motive and connections. It seems clear that Mike was specifically targeted and someone like Krueger doesn't just commit a random murder but you never know.
It is a pretty good guess that the FBI has been going through Mike's family, personal and business life looking for that connection that will pull this case together.
http://www.seattleweekly.com/home/937125-129/crimepunishment