On September 5, 1992, computer engineer Lori Houts, 25, was found strangled to death in her car near a California garbage dump. Her boyfriend’s roommate was arrested in connection with the case, but two trials — and two juries — later, a judge dismissed the case. Soon after, the roommate moved to the Netherlands.
Over the weekend, the roommate — now the CEO of a small software company — was arrested when he landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office.
John Woodward, the 58-year-old CEO and president of ReadyTech, is expected to be extradited to Santa Clara County by the end of the month, District Attorney Jeff Rosen said Monday. Once there, Woodward would be tried a third time for Houts’ murder by strangulation.
“I was excited and very excited,” Houts’ sister told The Mercury News. “Then you get off of it. Nothing will bring your loved one back. They are gone. Even if you feel good in some way that there is justice, it doesn’t cure the problem. It’s not like winning, getting your sister back.”
Houts’ body was discovered by a passerby less than a mile from her office at Adobe Systems in Mountain View more than 30 years ago, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. There was a rope around her neck and there were prints on the inside of her windshield that were called “a sign of her struggle with Woodward” by the district attorney’s office.
Forensics at the time were able to match Woodward to fingerprints found outside the car, but investigators could not prove he was inside the vehicle.
Yet when Houts’ boyfriend called Woodward, under police surveillance, soon after the 25-year-old’s death, he “did not deny” killing Houts. Instead, according to a police summary of the matter, Woodward asked what evidence authorities had against him and suggested the roommate “meet in the parking lot” to talk more.
Woodward, who had no alibi for the night Houts was killed, was arrested that year. Prosecutors say Woodward developed an “unrequited” romantic interest in Houts’ boyfriend. The theory was criticized as homophobic during Woodward’s first trial in 1995 by his defense attorney, The Mercury News reported Monday, and the jury deadlocked on his innocence, voting 8-4 to acquit.
A year later, despite a judge barring the romantic rival argument, the jury hearing Woodward’s second trial hung again, this time ruling 7-5. The judge soon dismissed the case due to insufficient evidence.
But advances in DNA technology allowed detectives to link Woodward to the rope around Houts’ neck for the first time last year, Rosen said in a statement. Investigators at both the Santa Clara County Crime Lab and the Mountain View Police Department matched both Woodward’s genetic material and the fibers on his tracksuit to the “murder weapon,” police said.
Woodward was arrested after federal agents alerted local authorities of his impending arrival from Amsterdam. Dutch authorities, the district attorney said, also obtained a warrant and seized a number of electronic devices from his home and business.
ReadyTech, which is headquartered in Oakland and has an office in the Netherlands, did not immediately respond to an email sent by The Daily Beast to the company’s general information address.
“I want Ms. Houts’ family and friends to know that we never gave up on her,” Rosen said Monday. “Neither time nor distance will prevent us from discovering the truth and seeking justice.”
Houts’ family also released a statement after Woodward’s arrest was announced, remembering their daughter’s heart, humor and courage.
“The way Lori lived and treated people was a stunning example of what is right in the world,” they said, according to CBS News’ Bay Area affiliate. “She was a gem to so many, but her bright life was taken from us at the age of 25. We hope that justice can finally be served to Laurie and are incredibly grateful to law enforcement who never gave up on her. “
Add Comment