GUILTY TX - Carla Walker, 17, abducted, raped and strangled, Fort Worth, 17 Feb 1974 *Arrest in 2020*

[Niner]

I'm glad Carla's family got justice!

 

[Dotta]

It's over??!! How long did the jury deliberate - anyone know - I'd like to put that in my notes. And looks like he got sentenced already? Did the defense call anyone?

TIA!

Guilty plea. No trial with jury. Sentenced to life in prison.

 

[Niner]

Guilty plea. No trial with jury. Sentenced to life in prison.

I read the article - and changed my post - thanks for that info though!

 

[janewall]

That cowardly projecting lying **** is still doing profound damage to Carla and her family and friends all these years later. He had no reason to drag Rodney's name through the mud in court. Yet in the present day he chose to impute all his own vicious actions over 47 years ago to a boy he already had beaten severely; a boy who had to helplessly watch his girlfriend get dragged away to her torture and death; a boy whose subsequent adult days likely have been traumatized and haunted by that horrendous occurrence.

Who knows what really happened in the car that night between two teenage sweethearts. There are no uninvolved witnesses to tell us or the courts. But there is no reason whatsoever to give HIS filthy account any credence whatsoever. Yet his defamatory testimony about Rodney can never be unspoken, and Rodney as well as Carla's family will never unhear them. What a reprehensible, utterly destructive jerk he was then and has been ever since. I hope every bit of the misery he has wrought on others is revisited on him during the remainder of his misbegotten waste of a life.

 

[othram]

Another great article about the trial. Welcome to the future: https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2021/08/24/forensic-genealogy-glen-mccurley-case-thousands-unsolved-murders/

 

[EnvoyDriver61]

The technology story was good to read. It is a pity it is so expensive to conduct these types of test (understandable). I am sure there are more out there that could be solved in the same manner. In this case, McCurley really thought he had gotten away with the crime. He must not have understood the great headway being done in DNA technology since he freely gave another sample.

 

[Dotta]

The technology story was good to read. It is a pity it is so expensive to conduct these types of test (understandable). I am sure there are more out there that could be solved in the same manner. In this case, McCurley really thought he had gotten away with the crime. He must not have understood the great headway being done in DNA technology since he freely gave another sample.

To tell the truth I had the impression he suffers from dementia - granted, I only watched a few minutes while he was giving guilty plea. But he looked so bewildered, glancing questioningly at his lawyer all the time as if he didnt understand what was going on. MOO

 

[MajorHoople]

This is a great day.

Thank you for helping to bring this day to pass!

 

[MajorHoople]

Texas man stops trial and confesses to 1974 murder of 17-year-old girl | Daily Mail Online

There are some photos that I have not seen before.

"A 78-year-old Texas man on trial for the abduction, rape, and murder of a teenage girl in 1974 abruptly changed his plea during court proceedings Tuesday, to confess.

Glen McCurley, 78, was immediately sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty during the third day of the Tarrant County trial.

Carla Walker was sitting in a car with her boyfriend after a Valentine's dance February 17, 1974, when McCurley pistol-whipped the boy before snatching the 17-year-old girl.

She had been raped and tortured alive for two days, before being strangled and stuffed in a culvert near Lake Benbrook, not far from the scene of the abduction.

McCurley was arrested and charged with capital murder last November.

Prosecutors had said they would not seek the death penalty for McCurley, who admitted to police that he had killed Walker. A video recording of that interview was played for jurors.

McCurley had been one of a number of people under suspicion since the crime occurred, but investigators had been unable to link him definitively to Walkers death."

 

[Dotta]

Texas man stops trial and confesses to 1974 murder of 17-year-old girl | Daily Mail Online

There are some photos that I have not seen before.

"A 78-year-old Texas man on trial for the abduction, rape, and murder of a teenage girl in 1974 abruptly changed his plea during court proceedings Tuesday, to confess.

Glen McCurley, 78, was immediately sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty during the third day of the Tarrant County trial.

Carla Walker was sitting in a car with her boyfriend after a Valentine's dance February 17, 1974, when McCurley pistol-whipped the boy before snatching the 17-year-old girl.

She had been raped and tortured alive for two days, before being strangled and stuffed in a culvert near Lake Benbrook, not far from the scene of the abduction.

McCurley was arrested and charged with capital murder last November.

Prosecutors had said they would not seek the death penalty for McCurley, who admitted to police that he had killed Walker. A video recording of that interview was played for jurors.

McCurley had been one of a number of people under suspicion since the crime occurred, but investigators had been unable to link him definitively to Walkers death."

In the comments sb wrote that his brother in law was a school head teacher. He was married for 58 years and kidnapped Carla on his wedding anniversary Carla was such a sweet and innocent looking girl. You can now RIP Angel. Justice has been done!

 

[EnvoyDriver61]

To tell the truth I had the impression he suffers from dementia - granted, I only watched a few minutes while he was giving guilty plea. But he looked so bewildered, glancing questioningly at his lawyer all the time as if he didnt understand what was going on.

I wonder if that is part of his act though: "poor old guy." He either had to come up with his "story" on the fly, or he had gone over it several times before his interview. He had to think of a way that his attack was consensual (in his mind). If he did do this on the fly during the interview, he didn't have dementia back then. I think he had convinced himself that his story he concocted was true over the years to absolve himself of the crimes he committed.

 

[Turtletxn]

Of course, I would never defend him. It just seems strange that he felt the compulsion to attend church services - I think it was his subconsciousness. Or family tradition. Im happy that Justice is finally served to poor Carla. RIP now.

Church can be a wonderful hiding place for some of the most vicious predators and criminals. A great modern day example is the BTK Killer. Usually there is little to do with any sort of conscience and everything to do with being highly manipulative, unfortunately. Psychopaths can learn how to behave from church and model the behavior as well. Lots of interesting things to consider.

 

[Judgedebbee]

I was so glad to hear about the DNA results as well as the murderer's arrest and subsequent guilty plea. I know any girl near Carla's age who lived in Fort Worth in the seventies felt fear during that time. Since they have McCurley's DNA now, do they run all the other cold cases in the area and see if his DNA matches any others? It seems far fetched to think he never did another crime all these years.

 

[Turtletxn]

I was so glad to hear about the DNA results as well as the murderer's arrest and subsequent guilty plea. I know any girl near Carla's age who lived in Fort Worth in the seventies felt fear during that time. Since they have McCurley's DNA now, do they run all the other cold cases in the area and see if his DNA matches any others? It seems far fetched to think he never did another crime all these years.

Yes absolutely, LE has run McCurley's profile through CODIS.

 

[Gracie55]

Wou

I was so glad to hear about the DNA results as well as the murderer's arrest and subsequent guilty plea. I know any girl near Carla's age who lived in Fort Worth in the seventies felt fear during that time. Since they have McCurley's DNA now, do they run all the other cold cases in the area and see if his DNA matches any others? It seems far fetched to think he never did another crime all these years.

You'd think he'd have built up his criminal daring to something like assaulting the boyfriend then snatching, raping and murdering Carla. But was evidence saved from rapes in the 70s that would yield DNA? In a murder, yes, her garments were preserved. Would a rape kit have been saved, or did such a thing rxist?

 

[EnvoyDriver61]

Yes absolutely, LE has run McCurley's profile through CODIS.

They have his profile; I get the impression that it will take money and time to go through other cases, especially old ones.

 

[CastlesBurning]

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article254267778.html

On Aug. 24, the decades-long case of Carla Walker’s murder finally came to a close when Glen McCurley was convicted of killing the 17-year-old in 1974.

But nearly 1,000 other families in Fort Worth still search for answers to their own cold cases. The name for these cases itself tells of the emotional limbo families face; they remain frozen, waiting for resolution as years and decades go by.

Carla’s brother, Jim Walker, and the Fort Worth detectives who solved the case want to change that. In September 2020, after police arrested McCurley for the murder of Carla, Detective Jeff Bennett asked the department for permission to create a foundation dedicated to solving Fort Worth’s unsolved murders.

 

[othram]

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article254267778.html

On Aug. 24, the decades-long case of Carla Walker’s murder finally came to a close when Glen McCurley was convicted of killing the 17-year-old in 1974.

But nearly 1,000 other families in Fort Worth still search for answers to their own cold cases. The name for these cases itself tells of the emotional limbo families face; they remain frozen, waiting for resolution as years and decades go by.

Carla’s brother, Jim Walker, and the Fort Worth detectives who solved the case want to change that. In September 2020, after police arrested McCurley for the murder of Carla, Detective Jeff Bennett asked the department for permission to create a foundation dedicated to solving Fort Worth’s unsolved murders.

Very encouraging!

 

[EnvoyDriver61]

Question: If a profile is loaded on an ancestry website, is it there always, or are the ways to ask for it to be removed? Seems like since this is a reliable means to look at DNA, someone who may not have been aware when they used the sites could now be having second thoughts and asking to have profiles removed or samples deleted. Is that scenario possible? I saw the article about Carla and was glad to see the creation of this foundation. It would be nice to clear out some older cold cases.

 

[Turtletxn]

Question: If a profile is loaded on an ancestry website, is it there always, or are the ways to ask for it to be removed? Seems like since this is a reliable means to look at DNA, someone who may not have been aware when they used the sites could now be having second thoughts and asking to have profiles removed or samples deleted. Is that scenario possible? I saw the article about Carla and was glad to see the creation of this foundation. It would be nice to clear out some older cold cases.

Most of the DNA sites do offer the user the ability to remove their DNA profile and have their sample destroyed. For anyone interested in contributing your DNA profile into DNASolves you can do that at DNASolves - Your DNA Could Help Solve a Crime at no charge. DNA Solves also offers a very inexpensive DNA kit if you do not have a DNA profile yet.