Overview

• 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.