The conclusion, for some reason, has been very hard for me to write; perhaps because there really isn’t a conclusion. We have a pretty good idea of who killed Carla, but not enough evidence to indict let alone convict. It’s been thirty four years and there still isn’t a conviction. Lady Justice, for whatever reasons, hasn’t been kind. If officers would have followed the correct clues when Carla was originally abducted, chances are that Wilhoit would be rotting in prison.

Was there a cover up of the facts by the Fort Worth Police Department? I don’t know. I know that there are several things that make the entire episode look beyond hinky. The fact that officers badgered Janelle with the same photo of Miller until she finally picked him out as her attacker, then waited thirty days to arrest him which coincidentally just happened to be the same day that he was to testify against two narcotics cops.  I don’t think so. Then you take in the comments that Wilhoit made regarding Carla’s abduction and murder, the fact that he failed the polygraph miserably, as well as confessing to the assault on Janelle, circumstantially, Wilhoit is looking pretty good for Carla’s murder.

Let’s add in a couple more factors shall we? Terrell states that “in the cases of Carla Walker, Janelle Kirby and the grocery clerk who was raped, there is evidence of very poor investigative work. One suspect, whose physical description matched all three offenses, was never questioned.” He goes on to mention other coincidences in the other abductions and murders. He specifically says that “when Becky Martin was murdered, William Ted Wilhoit was a student at the same college. When the Jenny D. and Janelle Kirby offenses occurred, Wilhoit also attended the same college that they did. Other information has surfaced. At the time of Carla's murder, a witness observed a beige General Motors vehicle parked near the ramp to the parking lot. The car had only parking lights burning and a man was seen standing next to the car. I was told that Wilhoit did own such a vehicle at the time, but after her murder had put it into his garage and closed the door. He reportedly told others that it would not run. At the time I monitored Wilhoit's movement very closely. I never knew of him to own such a car, but a friend of Wilhoit's did.”

That’s just a few too many coincidences if you ask me. In February of 1976, Terrell went back to the bowling alley and questioned a witness from the bowling alley who positively identified Wilhoit as the man at the bowling alley the night Carla was abducted.

In September 1978, a man carrying an antique pistol raped homemaker Debra Hankins at her Abilene residence. Abilene police recalled Terrell’s letter and showed Hankins the mug shot. She identified Wilhoit as her attacker. Police arrested Wilhoit at the church on the college campus. He was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison.

In 2004 in an article written for the Fort Worth Weekly Online the reporter was told that the case had recently been reopened. Supposedly, there was a detective who was “actively” working on it. Wow, one whole detective huh? Police Sgt J.D. Thornton added that she’d located all the evidence too. Wow! I’m impressed. The case was reopened with one whole detective and she’d actually been able to find all the evidence. Well shucks.

It’s interesting to note that Texas created a cold case team comprised of Texas Rangers. Gary De Los Santos who heads the unit made a statement basically saying that they wouldn’t come into any investigation unless they were asked to do so by the investigating team. Which pretty much meant that they weren’t going to be looking at Carla’s murder. Carla’s case was on a list of twenty two other cases set for review by the Texas Rangers. Carla's case was never looked at by the team of rangers (the Rangers passed on the case when Forth Worth PD declared the case was being reviewed internally) due to statements made by the Fort Worth Police Department.

Does anyone else find it awfully suspicious that the Fort Worth PD seems hell bent on no one ever looking into Carla Walkers murder? What is it that they are so afraid is going to come out? Retired Detective Terrell sent a letter to the current investigating officer (as of 2004) S.J. Waters but received no response – no response at all, not even a brush off response. I don’t know who taught Miss Waters her manners, but I certainly hope that it wasn’t her mother because she failed miserably. Terrell, as a former member of the department, deserved at least to be acknowledged.

I asked the question earlier if the Fort Worth department covered up evidence or facts and my response was I don’t know. After reviewing more information, I can say with at least an 80% certainty that the Fort Worth Police Department doesn’t want anyone near this case at all. Kind of makes you wonder what skeletons they have hidden in their closets doesn’t it.

At the end, Carla’s murder is still unsolved, and still a cold case, but at least they have ONE detective on the case and by golly, she’s managed to round up all the evidence too! Sorry for my sarcasm, but I think the Fort Worth PD has earned all of that and then some. They completely bungled a pretty simply case by trying to pin it on the man who was suing them in civil court. Bam!