Man sentenced for killing woman in 1982 and leaving her partially nude body in drainage culvert

ODESSA, Texas (TCN) — A 62-year-old man will spend two decades behind bars for killing a 64-year-old woman more than 42 years ago.

According to a Sept. 25 news release from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Billy Ludwigson pleaded guilty to the murder of Velma Nesset, whose remains were found with evidence of sexual assault. An Ector County jury sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

Nesset, an employee at Permian Mall, often walked to and from work. On April 19, 1982, DPS said co-workers and relatives became concerned when she didn’t show up to work, and they reported her missing to the Odessa Police Department. Nesset’s partially nude body was later discovered in a drainage culvert, and investigators determined she had been sexually assaulted and killed.

Odessa Police arrested a male suspect at the time who purportedly admitted to the crime, but DPS said “during the trial in 1983, the suspect was acquitted for lack of evidence and a false confession.”

The case went cold until 2020, when investigators were able to implement a sexual assault kit initiative. Through advanced testing, officials identified Ludwigson as the primary suspect. In July 2020, Texas Rangers and Odessa Police arrested Ludwigson in Denver, and he admitted to killing Nesset.

The defendant was extradited to Texas in October 2020, and an Ector County jury indicted him on murder charges.

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