A 68-year-old man was arrested in North Carolina on Thursday for the 1988 cold case murder of a woman who was found brutally beaten inside her downtown Orlando workplace.
On Thursday, the Orlando Police Department announced the arrest of Willie J. Carpenter on a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of Diane Matthews. Back on September 8, 1988, Matthews was found murdered inside the answering service where she worked at 227 N Magnolia Avenue.
OPD stated that the injuries to Matthews’ face were so severe that she was unrecognizable. However, a co-worker was reportedly able to identify Matthews by her hair.
Following the homicide, detectives interviewed multiple witnesses and collected physical evidence from the crime scene, including fingerprints and DNA.
At the time of the murder, DNA technology was not routinely used in criminal investigations, and no suspect was immediately identified. As a result, the case eventually went cold.
More than two decades later, investigators received a major breakthrough when Carpenter’s DNA was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) following his unrelated arrest in North Carolina for a sexual offense involving an underage female victim.
According to OPD, Carpenter’s DNA was subsequently identified as a potential match to the biological evidence preserved from the 1988 crime scene.
OPD detectives interviewed Carpenter in 2013, and he allegedly denied knowing Matthews and declined to provide a DNA sample.
When investigators re-interviewed him in 2024, Carpenter voluntarily provided a DNA sample, allowing the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to conduct additional testing. Those results were finalized in 2025, which authorities say further strengthened the evidentiary link between Carpenter and the crime scene.
After ruling out other potential suspects, detectives secured an arrest warrant for Carpenter in 2026, and he was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service North Carolina Regional Task Force on Thursday, July 9, 2026.
Carpenter is currently awaiting extradition to Orlando, according to OPD.
“Time does not diminish our commitment to justice,” said Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith. “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.”