Texas Convict Found Guilty In 2001 Cold Murder Case In Oklahoma County

A convicted Texas murderer has been found guilty in an Oklahoma County cold case murder.

Prosecutors charged Willie Hayden, Jr., 47, for a Halloween night murder dating back 19 years. Hayden was convicted first-degree murder and was sentenced to life without parole.

The case was handed to the jurors on Friday afternoon. Oklahoma County prosecutors laid out the evidence they have against Hayden and asked jurors to bring back a guilty verdict.

The case against Hayden has been in the making for nearly two decades.

The Oklahoma County district attorney's cold case detective followed a lead that pointed straight to the already convicted murderer. The detective spoke to News 9 about the case two years ago.

“To have a guy that has been able to evade prosecution that long,” said Detective Mike Burke, Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office. “It’s a very wonderful thing.”

In 2001, police found Vera Gowers, 37, raped and beaten to death in southwest Oklahoma City. The medical examiner ruled Gowers died from blunt force trauma to her face.

DNA from Gower's rape and murder was held but never matched anyone until 2015. Authorities said it was Hayden's DNA.

“Low and behold, we get a cold hit on the case which is a CODIS hit,” said Burke. “A CODIS hit is a DNA, combined DNA indexing system that it’s run by the state and all the offenders from the penitentiary are put into this system.”

Hayden served prison time in Texas for assaulting and murdering a woman in Dallas. Most recently, he was convicted of robbing and stabbing a pregnant woman in Tulsa.

Hayden has denied killing Gowers but told investigators he hung out and smoked drugs near the area where her body was found.