I spoke to Charlie again last night. He told me that he spoke to the lead investigator on the case from 35 years ago. The investigator told him that he was never a suspect in the case.
The case in question is an unsolved cold case from August 23, 1981. It involves a young girl who just graduated from high school named Carmen Croan. According to some quick internet searches, she was brutally murdered outside of Odessa city limits after hanging out at a club one night. The Sheriff’s Department for Ector County thinks that she was abducted from the parking lot of the club, and then taken out to a desolate area full of pump jacks – and then murdered.
Charlie worked as security in that club, and he was there the night she was killed. He has a solid alibi, though, but we’ll get to that later.
There are a lot of pump jacks around Odessa, in case you were wondering.
And speaking of pump jacks, Charlie also mentioned something about a guy getting killed under one. We’ll have to go back to that later, too, and see where that ties in.
Charlie said that a fellow boxer used to go around telling people that he (i.e., Charlie) killed the girl, even though he was friends with the guy for many years. He has no idea why, but someone tied to either the police department or sheriff’s office confirmed that the man was obsessed with telling people that Charlie did it. Definitely weird. The guy was also working in the club with Charlie the night that Carmen was murdered.
The case really changed Charlie’s life. He thinks that people would stay away from him because of the rumors. He still loses sleep over it.
He says that if you hang on to your faith, though, the truth will come.
We are just starting to scratch the surface of how Charlie is entangled in all of this, but it already seems confusing.
Say a prayer for me,
K. E.
As Crazy As It Sounds 
Looking forward to the story
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would like to hear/read the story
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I never heard about this story. Not born and raised here, but Odessa is my home now and I’ve been here 10 uears.
I will definitely read the book when it gets into print.
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Enjoying the story and very interesting. Can hardly wait for the next page! I am hooked : )
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Charlie is a good Christian guy and still lives here in town. He didn’t do it. I have a friend of mine that I grew up with from day one who is a good friend of Charlie’s and would vouch for him any day of the week. They have Bible classes and discuss scripture together on a regular basis. To have that shadow of suspicion cast upon you and the real killer never having to face Justice, leaves no closure for her family as I would imagine it would for Charlie also. With all of the DNA evidence, you would think that they would have some new information using new technology. They had plenty of evidence and all kinds of DNA to test. Almost 40 years later, I believe that the person responsible for this is the guy originally convicted for it and is already dead and has been for many years. It’s the family as well as others deserving of the closure.
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I have thought about this terrible murder many times through out the years. It looks like with all the modern technology in crime solving, this case can be solved. Justice needs to be served!
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This murder made such a huge impact on my life, not because I knew Carmen that well, but because she was one of ours and it was so horrific. As a result, I became obsessed with the “why” terrible things like this happen to good people. Then there was Michael Eugene Sharp, the killer who was in the same industry as my dad and who actually worked on the same rig with my husband. I’m hoping and praying this case will be solved so we can all have a sense of finality and ultimately, peace…
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Charlies is the good guy
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What was the name of this “other guy” that also worked security that night and was insisting that Charlie was the guilty one?
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My wife and I both grew up in Odessa. I remember hearing Charlies name in our household. I don’t think I ever met him. I wish I had more facts about the case (as I am sure everyone involved does), but wasn’t a rather large bloody shirt found near the crime scene? And, I don’t know if it was hearsay or not, but was a machete found in the back of Charlies vehicle? I broached the subject once with someone and they went on about how a bloody jacket was also found. I find this unlikely as no one wears a jacket in August in Odessa. I thought this an odd thing for someone to say. My wife was a friend of Carmen’s they knew each other from being members at Temple Baptist church. We were both saddened and distraught at the report of the murder.
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Cotton – some clothes were found, but not in Charlie’s size. Also, Charlie had an iron clad alibi because he was in the ER after slicing open his thumb at Grahams, while carrying out the trash. The bouncer who took him to the ER was an undercover cop. I’ve never heard mention of a machete before.
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I knew Charlie pretty well from the time I was 14 until I was in my late 20’s. He never carried a knife, and he certainly would not put his hands on any woman. I was staying at his house on Custer right after he married Vanessa and she got mad at him because some other girl kept calling the house. I watched her slap, hit, and scratch the hell out of Charlie’s face and he never raised a hand against her. Charlie was also to a point pretty shy with women. His teeth were kinda mangled and he didn’t talk much, and he had some self esteem issues. Anyway, Odessa is a horrible town filled with hateful people. One of Charlie’s suposed friends started all the rumors (not long after Carmen’s death, the Odessa PD was able to trace all the rumors back to this one individual). Anyway, I don’t believe Charlie is responsible for her death, but I am pretty sure the one suspect they had who died didn’t do it either. The blood they found at the site of the murder (on the clothes the killer left behind) would seem to hold clues….unless all the blood belonged to Carmen. If you want to really know about Charlie, you should ask his brother Kenneth and/or his ex wives. Anyway, I hope you didn’t befriend Charlie only to run him into the ground when your through with him. Just a rumor, slip of the tongue, and/or a weak accusation can ruin someone’s life. For over 40 years there have still been a few people dropping Charlie’s name when ever Carmen’s death is brought up. Unfortunately a lot of times it gets back to Charlie. So Charlie still goes through his life with a cloud over his head and that can’t be easy. He could have left town, he could have gone public, but all that’s important to him are his family and friends. He won’t leave, and he’d be a little shy to walk into a news station declaring his innocents. Good luck on the book.
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I was not insinuating Charlie was guilty, sorry, just that the things I heard and the rumors that ran amuck at the time. Someone told me a machete was in his car. That is why I wish I knew more; i.e. who was the rumor monger that was “obsessively” insisting that Charlie was the guilty party. Maybe they were trying to divert attention from themselves. That is what I was wondering. Wish I could remember who or what the source of that little bit was.
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Known Charlie for many years he has a heart of gold and would give up his shirt for anyone in need.
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I had the pleasure to work alongside Charlie 37 years ago awesome guy to be around he made great Memories for me. . I worked security with him also was a bartender At Rocky’s and Graham central station Can remember everything to the “T “ Charlie had no part that .odessa ways crazy with weirdos from everywhere all over the country .I send my prayers to her family .
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Charlie-Hostetter was a self-made boxer with a great amount of determination to excel in boxing. His sheer will to progress as far in boxing as he possibly could was evident, but boxing is impacted with various levels of talent. Charlie did finish his career with a winning record and he should be proud of his effort in boxing! I knew Charlie from Neal’s Health Club, he certainly was cool and tough, but a murderer, I emphatically think this label is highly improbable indeed!
Sincerely,
Bradley Moore
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DNA science has come a long way since 1981, and growing up in Odessa I know that a hot Aug night in those west Texas oil fields would have left the killers DNA on those clothes found a couple of miles away, if it was indeed theirs. Another thing I seem to remember hearing, and I don’t remember where or from whom, was that someone reported seeing someone shirtless washing a car about 3:00 in the morning not far from the club where she was last seen. Forgive all my speculation and here say, after all it was a long time ago. And at this point in time that would be moot anyway. I can still remember all these years later how shocked I and my wife were upon hearing of her young friend’s death, as I am sure many others were.
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