DNA Identifies Suspect in 1979 California Cold Case Murder

Lewis Randolph Williamson, previously cleared by a polygraph, is confirmed as the killer of 17-year-old Esther Gonzalez through advanced forensic genealogy.

Esther Gonzalez, 17, was raped and bludgeoned to death in 1979 while walking to her sister's house in Banning, California.
Lewis Randolph 'Randy' Williamson, a US Marine veteran, initially reported finding Gonzalez's body but was cleared after passing a polygraph test.
Decades later, DNA evidence preserved from the crime scene was matched to Williamson using forensic genealogy, a technique unavailable in 1979.
Williamson died in Florida in 2014, but a blood sample from his autopsy provided the crucial evidence linking him to the crime.
The Gonzalez family expressed relief at finally having closure, though regret remains that Williamson will not face justice for the murder.