Suspect charged in 1980 murder of University of Texas nursing student

AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police said Friday that detectives have identified a suspect in a 44-year-old unsolved murder case.

Deck Brewer Jr., 78, was charged with the 1980 murder of Susan Leigh Wolfe, a 25-year-old nursing student at the University of Texas at Austin.

On January 9, 1980, Wolfe was abducted near her home while on her way to visit a friend. A witness reported seeing a man force Wolfe into a car described as a 1970 Dodge Polara.

Wolfe's body was found the next morning in an Austin alley. An autopsy revealed that she had been sexually assaulted and died of a gunshot wound to the head.

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The case remained unsolved for decades until DNA evidence from the sexual assault was submitted for testing in April 2023. The results, arriving in February 2024, resulted in a possible match to Brewer through the Combined DNA Index System.

Brewer, who is currently incarcerated in Massachusetts on other charges, gave investigators a DNA sample in July. Police say the odds that the DNA belongs to someone other than Brewer are about 1 in 550.5 trillion.

During questioning, Brewer admitted to being in the Austin area at the time of the murder, but invoked his right to an attorney when informed that his DNA had been found at the crime scene.

A warrant was issued for Brewer's arrest on August 14. Police are still trying to identify a possible second suspect who may have been in the vehicle during Wolfe's abduction.

Anyone with information is asked to contact APD's Cold Case Unit at 512-974-5250 or submit an anonymous tip through Capital Area Crime Stoppers.