ORLANDO, Fla. — Nearly 38 years after the murder of Diane Matthews, the Orlando Police Department has arrested a suspect in the cold case, citing advances in DNA technology and decades of investigative work.
Police announced that Willie J. Carpenter, 68, has been charged with first-degree murder in Matthews’ 1988 killing. Carpenter was arrested July 9 by the U.S. Marshals Service North Carolina Regional Task Force and is awaiting extradition to Orlando.
Matthews was murdered on Sept. 8, 1988, inside the answering service at 227 N. Magnolia Ave. in Orlando. Her injuries were so severe she was initially unrecognizable.
Detectives collected fingerprints and biological evidence from the scene, but DNA testing was not routinely used at the time. The evidence was preserved, and the case remained unsolved for decades.
The investigation shifted after Carpenter’s DNA was added to a database following an unrelated arrest in North Carolina. In 2013, detectives interviewed Carpenter, who denied knowing Matthews and refused a DNA sample.
In 2024, Carpenter voluntarily gave a DNA sample during another interview, and in 2025, Florida law enforcement’s testing strengthened the link to evidence from the crime scene, police said.
After reviewing the evidence and consulting with prosecutors, detectives obtained an arrest warrant earlier this year.
“Time does not diminish our commitment to justice,” Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said. “No matter how many years pass, the Orlando Police Department’s Homicide Unit will continue to pursue the truth until every possible avenue has been exhausted and those responsible are held accountable.”
Carpenter remains in custody in North Carolina, awaiting extradition to Orange County to face the murder charge.
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