A breakthrough in DNA technology has led to the arrest of a North Carolina man for the 1988 murder of a woman in Orlando, Florida. Tremendous advancements in forensic science have finally brought a suspect into the spotlight nearly four decades after the case turned cold, according to police reports.
On Thursday, the Orlando Police Department revealed that Willie J. Carpenter was captured by the U.S. Marshals Service’s North Carolina Regional Task Force. He is now facing charges of first-degree murder in connection with the demise of Diane Matthews.
Diane Matthews’ body was discovered on September 8, 1988, at the Orlando answering service facility where she was employed, located in the city’s downtown area.
This week, Orlando police formally accused Willie Carpenter of first-degree murder for his alleged involvement in Diane Matthews’ 1988 slaying. (Orlando Police Department)
Authorities stated that Matthews’ facial injuries were so extensive that her identity was initially unknown; a colleague later recognized her solely by her hair.
Detectives collected fingerprints and biological evidence from the crime scene and conducted numerous witness interviews, but DNA technology was not routinely used in criminal investigations at the time.
Although investigators preserved the evidence and continued pursuing leads, no suspect was identified, and the case eventually went cold.
Undated photos of Diane Matthews, who was found murdered at the Orlando answering service where she worked in September 1988. Police announced an arrest in the cold case nearly 38 years later. (Orlando Police Department)
The investigation took a significant turn more than two decades later when Carpenter’s DNA was entered into the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, following an unrelated arrest on charges related to a sexual offense in North Carolina with an underage female, police said.
Investigators identified Carpenter’s DNA as a potential match to biological evidence collected during the Matthews homicide investigation.
Detectives interviewed Carpenter in 2013, but he denied knowing Matthews and declined to provide a DNA sample.
Willie J. Carpenter was arrested July 9, 2026, and charged with first-degree murder in the 1988 killing of Orlando woman Diane Matthews, according to the Orlando Police Department. (Orlando Police Department)
When investigators interviewed Carpenter again in 2024, he voluntarily provided a DNA sample.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted additional testing on the sample, producing results in 2025 that further strengthened the evidentiary link between Carpenter and biological evidence recovered from the crime scene, police said.
Detectives then spent months reviewing the evidence, consulting with prosecutors and eliminating other potential suspects before seeking an arrest warrant this year.
Carpenter was taken into custody without incident and remains in North Carolina pending extradition to Florida.
News Media has reached out to the Orlando Police Department for additional information, including court records and details surrounding the investigation.