DNA technology leads to arrest in 1988 killing of Orlando woman after nearly four decades

Willie J. Carpenter has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the 1988 killing of Diane Matthews in Orlando, Florida, after DNA technology matched biological evidence from the crime scene to his profile in the national DNA database. Matthews' remains were discovered in the answering service where she worked; her injuries were so severe a co-worker identified her by her hair. Carpenter's DNA was entered into the system following an unrelated 2013 arrest, and after he voluntarily provided a DNA sample in 2024, investigators identified him as a match, leading to his arrest in July 2026.