ARLINGTON, Texas — After 34 years, a cold case murder investigation has culminated in the arrest of an Azle woman, Janie Perkins, who is accused of the 1991 capital murder of Cynthia Gonzalez. The key evidence detailed in an arrest warrant affidavit includes the suspect’s two failed polygraph tests and detailed confessions made to two different individuals.
Gonzalez, 25, was reported missing in Arlington on September 17, 1991. Her body, which showed signs of multiple gunshot wounds, was discovered five days later in a rural area of Johnson County.
The Role of UT Arlington Students in Reopening the Case
The decades-old case was transferred to cold case archives until 2024, when Arlington Police Detective Anthony Stafford briefly revisited the file following a request from Gonzalez’s daughter. The investigation was officially reopened in July 2025 after the University of Texas at Arlington’s (UTA) Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice launched a course to review cold cases with the police department.
Gonzalez’s case was selected for the students’ review. Based on the students’ feedback and questions regarding initial suspect Janie Perkins (known as Janie Hatley in 1991), Detective Stafford was prompted to fully reopen the investigation, ultimately leading to Perkins’ arrest last month on a charge of capital murder.
Motive and Failed Polygraphs
According to the affidavit, the victim and the suspect shared a romantic partner. Approximately three weeks before the murder, the man informed Perkins he was ending their relationship to be exclusively with Gonzalez. Detectives noted Perkins’ strong obsession with the man, characterized by her “hysterical” reaction to the breakup.
Perkins took two polygraph examinations in 1991, both of which indicated deception. Investigators noted the polygraph results suggested Perkins had knowledge of who shot Gonzalez, may have been involved in planning the murder, or may have hired someone to commit the killing. During her 1991 interview, Perkins admitted she was “glad that the victim is dead” and had contemplated “killing the victim or having the victim killed.”
The Confessions
The affidavit reveals that in the years following the murder, Perkins allegedly confessed specific details of the crime to two people:
- A close friend (1993): This individual told police Perkins confessed involvement in the murder and had asked him to be her alibi. Perkins allegedly described the victim being “shot with .44 magnum gun four or five times in the chest” and expressed confidence that police would never catch her because rain had “washed away evidence.” The friend stated that Perkins later told him they could not be together because she was “an evil person.”
- The shared romantic partner (October 1991): This man told detectives Perkins confessed to being involved in Gonzalez’s death, described hearing the gunshots, and boasted that “police will never find the gun” or the victim’s clothes.
Detectives confirmed that the details Perkins allegedly provided—including the number of gunshot wounds, the type of weapon used, and the fact that an apartment key belonging to Perkins was found in Gonzalez’s vehicle—were specific facts known only to someone involved in the crime.
Perkins, 63, of Azle, was arrested on November 6 and subsequently released on a $150,000 bond from the Tarrant County Jail. The investigation, which highlights the value of cold case review programs, remains active.
