Deck Brewer Jr. appeared in court Monday for the first time since his indictment in the 1980 kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of 25-year-old Susan Leigh Wolfe.
Using DNA evidence, Austin police identified Brewer earlier this year as a likely perpetrator in the 44-year-old cold case, and a warrant was issued for his arrest in August. Brewer was incarcerated in Massachusetts at the time for an unrelated crime. About a month later, he was extradited and booked into the Travis County Jail, jail records show.
Last week, a grand jury charged Brewer with both murder and murder, as the crime occurred during an aggravated assault, according to the indictment. IIt is unclear whether the case will go to trial.
During Monday’s hearing, Brewer’s court-appointed attorney, Jon Evans, drove his 78-year-old client to the courtroom at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center. Brewer spoke so softly during the hearing that the judge asked him to give his name.
As Brewer rested his head on his palm, Evans told District Judge Brandy Mueller that Brewer was not feeling well, but did not go into details. Evans could not be reached for comment after the hearing.
Wolf
Travis County prosecutors said they would seek life in prison for the capital murder charge, plus additional prison time for the secondary murder charge.
Brewer and another person who has not been identified are accused of kidnapping Wolfe, a nursing student at the University of Texas, about 10 p.m. on Jan. 9, 1980, as she walked home from a friend’s house in the North Loop. area. A witness to the kidnapping said a car approached Wolfe and the driver embraced her in a “bear hug” and covered her head before forcing her into the car. The witness also saw a passenger in the car. Wolfe’s body was found the next day in an East Austin alley. She had been sexually assaulted, strangled and shot in the head.
At the next hearing on January 27, the defense and prosecution will present evidence collected during discovery.
Anyone with information about Wolfe’s murder is asked to contact the cold case unit at 512-974-5250. Tips can also be submitted anonymously at austincrimestoppers.org or by calling 512-472-8477.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Man charged in 1980 murder of UT student makes first appearance in court
