40-year-old unsolved case of Velma Nesset murder solved

ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) – The Texas Rangers have solved the unsolved case of Velma Nesset after 40 years.

Billy Wayne Ludwigson, 62, was arrested, pleaded guilty to her murder, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison by an Ector County jury on August 9, 2024.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, 64-year-old Velma Nesset failed to show up for work in April 1982. She was known to walk to and from work at the Permian Mall in Odessa.

Her friends and family filed a complaint with the Odessa police. Nesset was found half-naked in a sewer, sexually abused and murdered.

The OPD made an arrest and the suspect confessed to the crime. However, during the trial in 1983, the suspect was acquitted due to lack of evidence and a false confession.

Nesset's case was closed.

In 2020, Nesset's case was handled under the Texas DPS's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), which provided funding for expanded DNA testing and genealogical research in Nesset's case.

The tests identified Ludwigson as a suspect, which was confirmed by standard forensic DNA testing.

In July 2020, Texas Rangers and Odessa Police arrested Ludwigson in Denver, Colorado and obtained his confession to Nesset's murder.

In October 2020, Ludwigson was extradited to Texas and indicted on murder charges by an Ector County grand jury.

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