Larry Allen West murdered Carol Joyce Deleon in 1981, authorities said. (Mugshot of Allen: Bexar County Jail; images by Deleon via Texas Department of Public Safety)
Investigators say they found the man who shot an 18-year-old, recent high school graduate six times in the head. Larry Allen West was arrested on Thursday for murder, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced.
Authorities said 18-year-old Carol Joyce Deleon graduated from Thomas Edison High School in San Antonio, Texas on May 28, 1981. A few days later, on June 3, she went to a local nightclub. She was found shot dead along Interstate 35 in Comal County, Texas on June 4, 1984, but investigators were unable to identify her, even after checking her fingerprints and referring to reports missing persons from neighboring areas.
“She was buried in New Braunfels, TX as Jane Doe,” the Texas DPS wrote.
Authorities managed to identify Deleon in 2009 using DNA technology.
Investigators say the break in the case came after new DNA tests found on Deleon’s body led them to West, according to KENS5. Authorities said there were no indications of sexual assault although some of her clothing was removed.
Texas Rangers visited West at his workplace in Converse, Texas, and he voluntarily gave them a DNA sample, authorities said in documents obtained by the outlet.
He reportedly said he regularly went to local Bexar County bars to pick up younger women, but he denied any involvement in Deleon’s death. The DNA, found on the victim’s body and under his fingernails, would have told a different story.
“Larry Allen West could not be excluded as a foreign contributor to this DNA profile,” the arrest warrant affidavit allegedly stated. “The probability of randomly selecting an unrelated person who could be the contributor to this foreign DNA profile is approximately one in 422.1 quintillion.”
According to investigators, West’s ex-wives said he was a violent person. Her first spouse claimed to have repeatedly assaulted and raped her during their 30 days of marriage.
“We have suffered for over 40 years without knowing what happened to my sister,” Carol’s sister, Sandra Deleon, told the outlet. “The potential of what she could have been, what she could have been will never be known. This was stolen from us, she was stolen.
West posted $125,000 bond on Thursday.
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