AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department identified a suspect in a 1980 Austin cold case homicide and said an arrest warrant was issued for him.
APD said in a release Friday morning an arrest warrant was issued for Deck Brewer Jr., 78, in connection with the death of Susan Leigh Wolfe. Brewer Jr. is currently in a Massachusetts prison, according to APD’s release and Travis County court documents.
On Jan. 9, 1980, Wolfe, who was 25 at the time and a student at the University of Texas, was kidnapped around 10 p.m. while walking to a friend’s house, according to APD.
A witness to the kidnapping saw a car stop and the driver exited, grabbed Wolfe and placed a coat over her head, then forced her into the car, per the APD release. APD also noted in the release the witness said the passenger door of the car opened, but the witness didn’t see what the passenger did.
Wolfe’s body was found the next morning in an alley near 2000 East 17th Street.
APD said the pathologist found evidence of ligature strangulation, determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of death as homicide. During the autopsy, the pathologist found evidence of sexual assault left by one of the suspects. That evidence was retained by APD and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Crime Laboratory throughout the duration of the investigation.
APD said during the first year of the investigation, investigators “tirelessly followed up on dozens of leads, investigated and tracked down numerous cars fitting the witness’s description, produced over 40 persons of interest, and interviewed at least six suspects, some as far away as New York state.”
In April 2023, detectives from the APD Cold Case Unit submitted evidence related to the sexual assault of Wolfe to the Texas DPS Crime Laboratory. The Austin Forensic Science Department and DPS Crime Laboratory evaluated the evidence and concluded it was suitable for testing.
APD received those test results in February 2024, which produced a male Short Tandem Repeat (STR profile). The profile eliminated six known suspects as contributors to the evidence. DPS then entered it into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which is a computer software program that operates local, state, and national databases of DNA profiles from convicted offenders, unsolved crime scene evidence, and missing persons.
In March, APD received a notification from TX DPS that a possible match in CODIS was located in Massachusetts.
A Massachusetts State Police Forensic Services Division report identified 78-year-old Deck Brewer Jr. as the possible contributor to the STR profile developed by TX DPS.
According to APD, current arrest records show Brewer Jr. is currently incarcerated at the Massachusetts Department of Corrections on unrelated charges.
On June 10, the Travis County District Court found probable cause to issue a DNA search warrant to seize a DNA sample from Brewer Jr. for direct comparison to the evidence found during Wolfe’s autopsy.
On July 13, 2024, APD detectives executed the DNA search warrant in Massachusetts by obtaining the DNA sample from Brewer Jr. and interviewing him. APD’s release said during that conversation, Brewer said he had been in Austin and San Antonio, Texas, around the time of the murder. APD said Brewer invoked his right to counsel after he was told his DNA was found at the scene of a homicide.
On July 23, 2024, APD received the results of the direct comparison of Brewer’s DNA to the DNA found during the autopsy.
The following is an excerpt from 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.”
On August 14, the Austin Municipal Court found probable cause to issue an arrest warrant charging Deck Brewer Jr. with the murder of Susan Leigh Wolfe.
APD said the investigation is ongoing and the department is following leads to try to identify the passenger that was in the car at the time of Wolfe’s abduction.
Anyone with information related to this case should call the APD Cold Case unit at 512-974-5250. You may submit a tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.
KXAN is working to obtain the arrest warrant.