The Arlington Police Department and students at the University of Texas at Arlington teamed up to solve a 1991 cold-case murder.
Janie Perkins, 63, was arrested on November 6 for the capital murder of Cynthia Gonzalez in 1991, according to a release from Arlington police.
Gonzalez was an “adult entertainer” who went missing at the age of 25 in 1991. Shortly after, police found her body in rural Johnson County, but never made an arrest in the murder.
This fall, Arlington police launched a partnership with the UTA Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, allowing select students to review real cold cases to develop new leads, according to the release. Students began asking questions about Perkins, leading to her arrest.
“When we launched our cold case partnership with UTA, we always hoped we’d get an outcome like this one day,” said Arlington Police Chief Al Jones in the release. “I don’t think any of us expected that lightning would strike the first time.”
The Murder
Gonzalez’s ex-husband reported her missing on September 17, 1991, according to the release. She had been last seen the evening before, leaving her Arlington home to meet with a “client.”
Soon after she was reported missing, her vehicle turned up in a neighborhood near 900 Cedar Springs Terrace. Arlington police began investigating whether she was kidnapped.
Days later, someone found the body of an “unknown female” dumped on private property in rural Johnson County, off County Road 313. She was shot multiple times and was decomposing.
“Through fingerprint comparison, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office positively identified her as Ms. Gonzalez,” the release reads.
The Investigation
Detectives followed multiple leads, but never made an arrest. The case was assigned to an Arlington homicide detective for review in 2024, the department’s standard practice since it does not have a full-time cold case unit.
“Unsolved murders are assigned to Homicide detectives to work on between active cases,” the release reads.
After initially reviewing the case, the detective found no new evidence or leads but agreed to keep the case open for further investigation, when possible.
Crime In The Classroom
When UTA students partnered with Arlington police to review cold cases, they examined three cases – one of which was Gonzalez’s murder. Officers provided students access to all reports and materials from case files, except for physical evidence.
Students communicated directly with homicide detectives about their cases throughout the semester. The group working on Gonzalez’s case began asking questions about Perkins, leading detectives to conduct further research.
Perkins was a friend of Gonzalez, and the two would often spend time together. Detectives had investigated her after the murder, since the two “shared a romantic partner.”
“Several weeks before the murder, this individual told Ms. Perkins he was calling things off with her to be with Ms. Gonzalez,” the release reads.
At the time, Perkins could not provide an alibi for her whereabouts the night Gonzalez went missing. She also reportedly failed two polygraph tests when asked if she killed Gonzalez or knew who did. These tests are not admissible in court, and Perkins insisted she was not involved in the murder.
“She made statements to investigators indicating she was glad Ms. Gonzalez was dead and that she’d even thought about killing her or having someone else kill her,” the release reads.
Perkins was never charged.
But when Arlington detectives reviewed the case files recently, they found witnesses had come forward claiming Perkins admitted to them she was involved in the murder, and provided specific details about the killing. These claims lined up with the evidence in the case.
“They believe this demonstrated Ms. Perkins either participated in or facilitated Ms. Gonzalez’s kidnapping and murder,” the release reads.
Detectives consulted with the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, then filed criminal charges. They obtained an arrest warrant, and members of the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force captured Perkins in Azle on November 6.
“I want to sincerely thank the students for their work and dedication to this case,” Jones said. “I also want to thank UTA faculty for embracing this program. We hope this is just the first of more to come.”
Police arrested 32-year-old Lebraxton Brown earlier this month for the 2016 cold case murder of Michael Hartley in Arlington, as The Dallas Express previously reported.
Also, earlier this month, 21 members of the Arlington-based street gang “Kiccdoe” were arrested and charged with federal crimes, as The Dallas Express reported. In October, Arlington police raided the “Chicas Locas” strip club for sex trafficking – arresting two managers and two patrons at the time.