ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 Nearly four decades after Diane Matthews was found murdered inside her downtown Orlando workplace, investigators say advances in DNA technology have led them to a suspect.<\/p>\n
Willie J. Carpenter, 68, was booked into the Orange County Jail after being extradited from North Carolina. <\/p>\n
He is charged with first-degree murder in connection with Matthews\u2019 1988 killing.<\/p>\n
Channel 9 was there when the case first unfolded. <\/p>\n
On Sept. 8, 1988, Matthews was found dead inside the answering service where she worked at 227 N. Magnolia Avenue in downtown Orlando.<\/p>\n
Investigators said Matthews suffered severe injuries and was unrecognizable, but a co-worker was able to identify her by her hair.<\/p>\n
After the killing, detectives collected evidence from the scene, including fingerprints and biological samples. <\/p>\n
At the time, DNA testing was not commonly used in criminal investigations, and the case eventually went cold.<\/p>\n
Nearly 38 years later, officials say new forensic testing helped revive the investigation.<\/p>\n
According to the Orlando Police Department, Carpenter\u2019s DNA was entered into the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, after an unrelated arrest in North Carolina involving a sexual offense against an underage female. <\/p>\n
Investigators say the DNA profile was identified as a potential match to biological evidence collected in the Matthews homicide investigation.<\/p>\n
Detectives first interviewed Carpenter in 2013. Police said he denied knowing Matthews and declined to provide a DNA sample.<\/p>\n
In 2024, investigators interviewed Carpenter again, and he voluntarily provided a DNA sample. <\/p>\n
Testing conducted with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was finalized in 2025, and police said the results strengthened the connection between Carpenter and evidence recovered from the crime scene.<\/p>\n
Detectives spent months reviewing the evidence, consulting with prosecutors and ruling out other potential suspects before seeking an arrest warrant in 2026.<\/p>\n
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