Willie J. Carpenter Charged in 1988 Orlando Murder After DNA Match
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 11
Willie J. Carpenter Charged in 1988 Orlando Murder After DNA Match
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 11
Summary
North Carolina authorities arrested Willie J. Carpenter on July 9, and Orlando police charged him with first-degree murder in the 1988 killing of Diane Matthews.
1988 crime-scene biological evidence was linked to Carpenter after his DNA entered CODIS following an unrelated North Carolina sexual-offense arrest, giving detectives a potential match in the cold case.
2013 interviews produced a denial and no DNA sample, but a 2024 interview yielded a voluntary sample; Florida testing in 2025 strengthened the evidentiary link, police said.
Matthews was found dead on Sept. 8, 1988, at the downtown Orlando answering service where she worked, and the case had remained unsolved for nearly 38 years despite preserved evidence and witness interviews.
Carpenter was taken into custody without incident and remains in North Carolina pending extradition to Florida after detectives reviewed evidence, ruled out other suspects and consulted prosecutors.