ORLANDO, FL — A suspect has been arrested nearly 38 years after the 1988 murder of Diane Matthews, thanks to advances in DNA technology and decades of investigative work by the Orlando Police Department.
Police announced that 68-year-old Willie J. Carpenter was arrested on July 9, 2026, by the U.S. Marshals Service North Carolina Regional Task Force. He has been charged with first-degree murder and is awaiting extradition to Orlando.
Matthews was found murdered on Sept. 8, 1988, inside the answering service where she worked on North Magnolia Avenue in downtown Orlando. Investigators said her injuries were so severe that she was initially unrecognizable.
Detectives collected fingerprints and biological evidence from the scene, but DNA technology was not routinely used at the time. The evidence was preserved as investigators continued pursuing leads over the years.
A major breakthrough came after Carpenter’s DNA was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) following an unrelated arrest in North Carolina involving a sexual offense against an underage female. Investigators identified his DNA as a potential match to evidence collected in the 1988 homicide.
Carpenter denied knowing Matthews during a 2013 interview and declined to provide a DNA sample. When detectives interviewed him again in 2024, he voluntarily submitted a DNA sample. Additional testing by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was completed in 2025 and further strengthened the connection between Carpenter and the biological evidence recovered from the crime scene.
After months of reviewing the evidence, consulting with prosecutors, and eliminating other potential suspects, detectives obtained an arrest warrant in 2026.
“This arrest demonstrates that time does not diminish our commitment to justice,” Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said. “No matter how many years pass, our Homicide Unit will continue pursuing the truth until those responsible are held accountable.”
Source: Orlando Police Department
