Austin, TX
Austin authorities identify suspect in 1980 cold case killing of University of Texas nursing student
![Austin authorities identify suspect in 1980 cold case killing of University of Texas nursing student Austin authorities identify suspect in 1980 cold case killing of University of Texas nursing student](https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/08/17/ffdf8e6f-f921-4955-872b-872829b54cc5/thumbnail/1200x630/e92777a8700cdd2d88877fa9f4470d86/screenshot-2024-08-17-at-8-00-29-am.png?v=d8f7565ef3e8b72561ee316b5993cbf9)
A suspect in the 44-year-old cold case killing of University of Texas nursing student Susan Leigh Wolfe was identified as Deck Brewer — but authorities are still searching for one more person in connection with the crime, according to a news release from the City of Austin.
In 1980, Wolfe was enrolled at the UT Austin School of Nursing. Around 10 p.m. local time, authorities say she was kidnapped about one block from her home while walking to a friend’s house after having her house sprayed for bugs.
A witness to the kidnapping says they watched as a car stopped and the driver grabbed Wolfe in a “bear hug,” placing a coat over her head and forcing her into the car. The witness also said the passenger door opened, but he did not see what the passenger did during the abduction. The witness described the car as a 1970 Dodge Polara.
Wolfe’s body was found early the next morning in an Austin alley at 2000 E. 17th Street. The pathologist found “evidence of ligature strangulation,” determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, and that the manner of death was homicide.
During the autopsy, the pathologist found evidence of sexual assault left by one of the suspects. That evidence was retained by the Austin Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory throughout the investigation.
In April 2023, detectives from the APD Cold Case Unit submitted evidence related to the sexual assault to the Texas DPS Crime Laboratory. The Austin Forensic Science Department and DPS Crime Laboratory evaluated the evidence and decided it was suitable for testing.
APD received the test results in February and Texas DPS entered the profile from the results into CODIS or the Combined DNA Index System. CODIS operates local, state and national DNA profiles from convicted offenders, missing people and unsolved crime scene evidence.
In March, APD received notification from TX DPS that a possible match in CODIS was found in Massachusetts. Detectives examined the Massachusetts State Police Forensic Services Division report dated March 7, 2024. This report identified Brewer, 78, as the possible contributor to the profile developed by TX DPS.
Arrest records show Brewer is incarcerated at the Massachusetts Department of Corrections on unrelated charges.
In June, Travis County District Court found probable cause to issue a DNA search warrant to seize a DNA sample from Brewer for direct comparison to the evidence found during Wolfe’s autopsy.
In July, APD detectives executed the DNA search warrant in Massachusetts by obtaining the DNA sample from Brewer and interviewing him. During that conversation, Brewer said he had been in San Antonio and Austin at the time of the killing and invoked his right to counsel after he was told his DNA was found at the scene of a homicide.
APD received the results of the direct comparison of Brewer’s DNA to the DNA that was located inside the victim during the autopsy.
According to the DPS report: “Deck Brewer Jr. cannot be excluded as the contributor of the partial major component in this DNA profile. The probability of selecting an unrelated person at random who could be the contributor of the partial major component in this DNA profile is approximately 1 in 550.5 quintillion. One quintillion is followed by 18 zeros.”
In August, Austin Municipal Court found probable cause to issue an arrest warrant charging Brewer with Wolfe’s killing.
The investigation is ongoing, and APD is following leads to find the passenger in the car when Wolfe was abducted.
According to CBS affiliate KEYE-TV in Austin, both of Wolfe’s parents have since died, and her roommate at the time appears to have passed away last year.
Anyone with information related to this case is being encouraged to call APD’s Cold Case Unit at 512-974-5250.
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Austin, TX
Austin area linebacker Tieson Ejiawoko commits to Texas Tech football
![Austin area linebacker Tieson Ejiawoko commits to Texas Tech football Austin area linebacker Tieson Ejiawoko commits to Texas Tech football](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/07/30/NLAJ/74608125007-20240730-texas-tech-football-media-jm-49.jpg?auto=webp&crop=3599,2025,x0,y187&format=pjpg&width=1200)
C.J. Ah You on what he looks for from Texas Tech football’s outside linebackers
C.J. Ah You on what he looks for from Texas Tech football’s outside linebackers.
The Texas Tech football program under Joey McGuire has made a habit of moving fast on recruits it really likes, even if the prospect lacks scholarship offers from a lot of prestigious schools.
On Friday, Georgetown East View linebacker Tieson Ejiawoko announced his commitment to the Red Raiders on social media. According to recruiting services, Ejiawoko also has been offered scholarships by Oregon State, Washington State, Houston, North Texas, Connecticut and Nevada-Las Vegas.
Interest in him, however, is likely to increase.
In the 247Sports composite index, Ejiawoko is ranked the No. 37 prospect in Texas and No. 262 in the nation for the class of 2026.
Ejiawoko’s listed by his high-school team at 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds going into his junior season. He broke onto the scene last year with 60 tackles and three sacks as a sophomore on varsity. He’s the first player to pledge to the Red Raiders for the 2026 recruiting class.
East View, which plays in District 8-5A Division I, went 4-6 last season and 3-4 in district.
More: Maurion Horn bringing physical nature to Texas Tech football secondary in expanded role
More: Texas Tech football gets tips on tackling from across the pond
Austin, TX
Texas serial killer on the loose as police use DNA to link suspect to deaths of 2 women
![Texas serial killer on the loose as police use DNA to link suspect to deaths of 2 women Texas serial killer on the loose as police use DNA to link suspect to deaths of 2 women](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/08/14/NAAS/74804536007-serial-killer-apd-presser-001.jpg?auto=webp&crop=3535,1990,x0,y132&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Surveillance footage: Austin police searching for ‘serial killer’
Austin police released surveillance footage depicting a 34-year-old homicide victim walking with the man police believe may have killed her.
Austin Police Department
Law enforcement agencies in Central Texas believe a serial killer is on the loose, after the slayings of two women in Austin and Bastrop County.
Until last week, officers believed the two incidents were unrelated because they occurred six years apart. However, after collecting and analyzing multiple sources of DNA from both crime scenes, they discovered that the DNA matched.
The Bastrop County sheriff’s office has been working with the Texas Rangers to identify the man’s DNA, though he does not match any records from the Combined DNA Index System, Austin Police Sgt. Nathan Sexton said in a news conference.
In response to a reporter’s question, he added that it is “relatively rare” for someone committing “really violent murders” not to have been arrested or detained for a previous crime, the Austin American-Statesman previously reported.
Here’s what we know.
More: Austin police request public assistance to identify local serial killer
Austin Police Department responded to scene of deceased woman in June
On June 21, officers with the Austin Police Department responded to a 911 call and discovered a deceased woman inside an abandoned home at 2600 Metcalfe Road.
The 34-year-old woman was identified as Alyssa Ann Rivera. Detectives determined she was strangled and had been sexually assaulted, Sexton said during the news conference. Surveillance footage showed she had been seen walking with a man shortly before she was killed, Guillen said. Police believe the man could be the person who killed Rivera.
Investigators believed Rivera’s murder was an isolated incident until Aug. 7, when DNA evidence from the scene where they found Rivera connected the unidentified man to the 2018 unsolved murder of 28-year-old Alba Jenisse Aviles in Bastrop County, Austin police Detective Christopher Anderson said.
Police declined to identify what DNA had been found, saying that multiple sources of DNA were found at both murder scenes.
The Austin Police Department and Bastrop County sheriff’s office have been collaborating on the cases since the link was determined, Sexton said.
Woman found dead inside parked vehicle in April 2018
Alba Jenisse Aviles, 28, was killed on April 14, 2018, after she left Club Caribe in Southeast Austin. Her body was found by a passing driver, who discovered Aviles inside her parked silver sedan in the 300 block of Old San Antonio Road, the American-Statesman reported.
Aviles was similarly sexually assaulted and strangled to death, Sexton said, adding that both scenes had a similar “modus operandi.”
Law enforcement do not believe the victims knew each other or were linked in any way, Sexton said.
More: How many bodies have been found in Austin’s Lady Bird Lake? Here’s what we know.
How to report information
Sexton encouraged anyone with information about either Aviles’ or Rivera’s murders to contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS or submit anonymous tips through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program at austincrimestoppers.org or 512-472-8477.
Austin, TX
Venue in Austin to become ‘Pink Pony Club’ for Chappell Roan dance party Aug. 16
![Venue in Austin to become ‘Pink Pony Club’ for Chappell Roan dance party Aug. 16 Venue in Austin to become ‘Pink Pony Club’ for Chappell Roan dance party Aug. 16](https://www.lonestarlive.com/resizer/v2/VEFS4DGIJNBZLEUWKSEMR7AQK4.jpg?auth=8be2e20b8c5832f544bd49dbdef28d940c9ba89fc31457d433e6ca07a94dc3e5&width=1280&quality=90)
It appears a music venue in Austin, Texas, is gearing up for ACL Fest artist Chappell Roan’s arrival by throwing an epic dance party in her honor.
Fans of the rising pop star with a soulful yet eccentric sound are in luck as tickets still are available to the After Midnight: Chappell Roan Dance Party in East Austin on Friday, Aug. 16. The event will be held at Parish, 501 Brushy St., Austin, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.
According to the event page on the venue’s website, attendees can expect “a night of bubblegum pop disco for drama queens and kings!” The event also will feature a special performance by Brigitte Bandit, a drag queen and activist based in the Capital City.
DJ Alex Jay will be spinning anthems by the Midwest Princess that everyone (willingly or unwillingly) has come to know and love, along with other pop hits that will surely have attendees dancing their worries away until the wee hours of the morning.
Those who are ages 21 and older are welcome to snag tickets to attend the party! Available tickets are currently $26, plus taxes and fees. But according to Eventbrite, there are only a few tickets left. If you want to attend the After Midnight: Chappell Roan Dance Party, it’s in your best interest to buy your tickets ASAP!
Doors at Parish will open at 9 p.m.
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