MIRAMAR, FLA. (WSVN) - A nearly two-decades-old case has been cracked, and it turns out the suspect involved is already behind bars.
On May 22, 2002, family members of 15-year-old Farrah Carter found her murdered inside her own home along the 6500 block of Southwest 27th Street.
Detectives said evidence at the scene indicated a violent struggle had occurred and Carter died due to multiple stab wounds.
“My daughter was brutally murdered in the home that we had recently rented in Miramar,” said mother Kim Battle. “For many nights after this, I would sit in the living room in a big chair hoping she would come through that door, and still now, for some strange reason, I’m back with the light on in my bedroom.”
It has been almost 20 years since Carter was murdered, and police said they now know who committed the crime: 57-year-old Joseph Pollard.
“We interviewed Joseph Pollard, he denies involvement,” said Miramar Police detective Joe Tomlin. “He denies that he knows the victim.”
“It’s very pleasing, in a sense, but it is still heartbreaking,” Battle said.
The 15-year-old was home alone when, police said, Pollard forced his way into the house and killed her.
Detectives said there was evidence, but the case went cold until 2019 when new DNA technology pointed toward Pollard.
“The case went cold,” Tomlin said. “We never really developed any strong suspects, and we still had this DNA evidence. It came back to a guy by the name of Joseph L. Pollard.”
Pollard is already facing a lifetime behind bars stemming from an attempted kidnapping charge.
He denied the crime, but detectives said the evidence is conclusive — giving relief for Carter’s family.
Her sisters said they will never have closure.
“There’s really no closure. The only closure that we kind of will feel is if my sister was to just walk through that door and say, ‘Hey, y’all, I’m OK,'” said Keli Craig, Carter’s sister. “My sister was kid. My sister was 15. My sister had so many things that she wanted to do in life, and she talked about her future all the time.”
Police said they do not know how or if Pollard and Carter knew each other.
Anyone who knew Pollard in the early 2000s is urged to call Miramar Police.
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