Heartbreaking. We, of course,
will be thinking of our friends
in Florida. Anthony, thank you
very much, sir.
>> This morning, a major step
forward in hopes of solving
cold cases across the country,
including here in Texas.
U.S. Senator John Cornyn will
introduce the Carla Walker Act
at off in The Woodlands.
is the first of its kind lab in
the world purposefully built to
identify perpetrators of
victims of crime scenes.
Kristen, Middle monies chief
development officer at author
and she joins us live this
morning from the lab where this
legislation will be unveiled.
Kristen, thank you so much for
coming on the show.
>> Thank you so much for having
As we know this is a big deal
because the Carla Walker Act
will dedicate a portion of
federal money to support
forensic DNA analysis to solve
cold cases previously deemed
unsolvable.
>> Yeah, this is this is a big
day. Not only for off from that
the country and trying to to
figure out figure out how to
solve these cold cases. The
first time there’s going to
be infrastructure where law
enforcement now have access
to funding to be able to use
this new technology we’ve shown
over the last few years how
effective this technology as
we’ve been able to solve, you
know, thousands of cases using
this type of DNA testing.
Friends agree, sequencing.
And for the first time there
will be funding for law
enforcement to use it in all
their investigations when
there’s no lead using
traditional DNA analysis.
And also on top of that, there
will be metrics. We will start
to collect metrics on how much
money is spent and how many
cases are actually being
resolved. How quickly what
technologies are being used
and that will allow Congress to
create a real plan, a real road
map for how to solve every cold
case. How to work. Every
contemporary case, using the
most advanced DNA testing as
well as well as traditional
forensic testing so that you
can get to that answer sooner.
Get that perpetrator off the
streets before they commit that
next time before they find are
not expected.
>> I want to go a little deeper
into this in just a moment.
But first, Chris and I want to
take a moment to talk about
Carla Walker, the namesake of
this act for people not
familiar with who she is.
Tell us more about Harlem.
Carla.
>> Walker was a 17 year-old
cheerleader and Fort Worth
Texas. She was someone that the
community looked
up to. She was in love with the
quarterback of their high
school. They were both very
well liked by everyone in the
school. They took care of
everyone. They were the people
that always gave back to the
community and they went to a
Valentine’s dance together.
Like I said in Fort Worth,
Texas. And after their
Valentine’s Day dance, someone
opened the car and took Carla.
The last thing she said to
Rodney who was there with her.
Let’s go get my dad Rodney.
When he he actually went
straight to her house and he
was hit over the head with the
back of
a gun. And as soon as he came
to, he went straight to the
house to get her family what
happened. It is people thought
it was weird that he went to
the family’s house rather than
to law enforcement right away.
They thought that it took some
time for him to get there.
They couldn’t find car love.
This was a type of crime that
didn’t occur in Fort Worth at
the time, Karla was found 3
days later in a call for it
she was sexually assaulted and
murdered
everyone in the community was
distraught over what had
happened to her, unfortunately
doubt started to fall on
Rodney. Rodney spent 46 years.
He pass himself Alaska because
he couldn’t live in that
community anymore. And he felt
the burden of guilt for
surviving but also felt the
burden of the world thought
he had something to do with the
person he
loved disappearing. I met Jim
Walker who will talk to you
shortly. He was only 12 years
old. The day his sister was
taken and he spent 46 years.
Trying to get answers for
sister. He lived in the same
house. In fact, he never moved
hoping that someone would come
knock on the door and give him
some answers as to what might
have happened to sister that
night. He also would go back
to the covert that the perfect
that trade up by the
perpetrator left Carla and and
hoping that the the perpetrator
would return so that he could
confront him. He became a law
enforcement agent trying to
solve this case. He fought and
fought in every way he could.
I’m including being part of
TV shows so that he could get
funding for advanced DNA
testing in his sister’s case.
That is how the Carla Walker
case got solved. They were part
of a a series called The DNA
of Murder. NBC agreed to pay
for advanced DNA testing for
this case. And we were called
and after multiple other
attacks and build a profile, it
took a few weeks. I’m all that
was left was a very small
amount of DNA that was found on
a bra strap from 46 years ago.
Like I said, and this
technology was able to identify
Glen McCurley. Glen McCurley
live less than a mile away from
this family. They had seen him
and in the area
he had gotten away with it.
He thought he had gotten away
with it. Law enforcement that
you’ll talk to later A part
of investigating the rest of
this crime. They were able to
place the gun hit. Rodney over
the head. I am with Glen
McCurley. They were able to
get other context clues that
allowed him to be in the area
at the time. And so they got a
warrant for his DNA and it was
a match. It was a perfect match
for Carlos perpetrator. And so
we ended up in court. This was
the first case with this type
of technology that ended up in
court here
in Texas. And he was convicted
to life in prison for capital
murder. I’m her family was able
to face him and get answers.
I.
We’ve got to know hundreds of
people that new car like they
had a celebration of life and
that family I was completely
changed by the course of this
investigation by being able
to face Carlos perpetrator and
being able to get answers.
They were able to now move on
and they wanted to give back by
helping other families get the
same answers they believe in
the technology. As much as we
do, there are 100% advocates
and they are backing this
legislation. So that. And
Carla’s name
other people can get justice
much sooner than 46 years.
They don’t have to wait that
long to find out what happened
to their loved one and the
perpetrator can be caught
before he ages out of crime.
Yeah, you know, it’s it’s hard
not to get emotional when you
wrap your mind around what you
just said, you know.
>> 46 years, they finally got
answers in. The hope is that
no family will ever have to
this long. As you mentioned,
this technology is already
being used. It’s already
producing accurate results for
cases across the country.
The hope is more law
enforcement agencies will begin
to use this technology with
this new act, including right
here in Texas. You’re you’re
solving cases across the
country across the world.
But the hope is also for
agencies to sign on to this
here in Houston.
>> Absolutely, Zach. And I
mean, of course, we would love
to make our community safer our
backyard safer here in Texas.
I think this is a first at we
have a state senator, someone
that was an attorney general,
someone that was there as a
prosecutor than the beginning
of traditional DNA testing in
CODIS testing, someone that is
in charge of I’m almost
numerous bills, but almost all
the DNA sex assault, backlogged
bells for the federal
government here in the United
States.
Cornyn has dedicated his life
and his entire careers his
entire life and being able help
solve cold robustly help give
unidentified people their name
back and he is now taking the
lead and saying this technology
should be used. This technology
is necessary. What we’re using
up until now is not suffice
to solve every case. It’s not
suffice in every investigation.
And so I think that his example
is going to go a long way.
I also believe that the metrics
I will show approves with
numbers to Congress to these
law enforcement agents. How
effective this technology truly
is it? It’s it’s the difference
between having a case stay on
the shelf. I was a DNA that and
for decades, like you said, the
difference between a family
like Carla’s family not getting
those answers and being able
to solve that case in a matter
of weeks. For a few $1000.
It’s incredible how powerful
this technology is and how
efficient it is. And I think
more people.
>> Stop and start using this
tool.
>> Yeah, a lot of hope
Christian have one more
question for you. Before I let
you go, your message this
morning to loved ones of
victims waiting for answers.
Don’t give up hope.
>> Answers are on the way.
They’re coming. This is the
beginning of true
infrastructure set by our
federal government to help.
Your case when you have when
you’re a a family member
waiting for answers, it can
often seem hopeless and when
your family member that’s lost
someone because they’re just
gone and they haven’t been
identified, it can seem
hopeless. But I do believe that
with this technology, those and
it’s a matter of time before
your case is in our hands are
another competent laps hands
and we can return those answers
back to you before law
enforcement. And up being able
to investigate your case and
get an answer just like they
did in Carlos case. And I know
Jim is coming on in a few
minutes and he’ll discuss what
it meant to him. And it’s
something that I’ve seen
transform people’s lives and
I hope we can give it to
everyone that has a cold case