A tech firm CEO suspected of strangling a tech worker in a fit of jealousy 30 years ago has been arrested after new DNA evidence emerged linking him to the murder.
Readytech CEO John Kevin Woodward, 58, was arrested at JFK airport after he flew in from his new home city of Amsterdam.
He will be extradited to Mountain View, California where he will go on trial for a third time for the death of Laurie Houts, a 25-year-old employee of Adobe System.
Woodward, who was obsessed with the man that Houts was dating, attacked her in her car on September 22, 1992, police say, strangling her with a piece of rope.
‘The motive as we understand it is a love triangle,’ Mountain View Sergeant David Fisher.
A passerby discovered the car and Houts near a garbage dump about a mile from her job, the rope still wrapped around her neck, police said.
Signs of a struggle were apparent, her footprints could be seen on the inside of the windshield.
Cops ruled out robbery as a motive because her purse lay untouched beside her.
Detectives quickly turned to Woodward as the main suspect.
‘He was openly jealous of Ms. Houts, having developed an unrequited romantic attachment to his roommate, her boyfriend. He had no alibi,’ police said.
After her murder, cops had the boyfriend wear a wire and listen as the man confronted Woodward about the crime.
The suspect seem to suspect that he was being watched and asked the man what investigators had on him.
Using evidence the evidence they had at the time, the Santa Clara District Attorney took Woodward to trial twice, but both prosecutions ended in a hung jury.
The judge in the case told the DA that he would have to produce new evidence if he wanted to bring the case again.
After the trial, Woodward moved to the Netherlands, but he continued to run Readytech, an online training company.
Detectives started to reexamine the case in 2020.
Woodward’s fingerprints were found on the outside of the car, but forensic technicians lacked he sophistication to analyze the DNA on the rope until last year.
Santa Clara County Crime Lab used new DNA technology to exam samples collected from the crime scene.
Over 80 latent fingerprints that were also collected at the time of Laurie’s death were re-examined by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Identification Unit, which resulted in even more fingerprints matching Woodward.
‘This case is the culmination of incredible determination by our detectives over the decades and with phenomenal teamwork with our agency partners here in Santa Clara County and in New York,’ Moutain View police Chief Chris Hsiung.
‘I am honored that our agency finally gets to give hope to Laurie’s family that they can see a successful prosecution carried out. It bears repeating – we do not give up on justice for victims, no matter what.’
Houts was described by her family as ‘vibrant’ and ahead of her time as a woman working in the tech field.
‘Although she was only 5′ tall, she had a huge heart and her humor and spunk were endearing to all,’ her family said in a statement.
‘The way Laurie lived and treated people was a stunning example of what was right in the world.
‘She was a gem to so many, but her bright life was taken from us at the age of 25. We are hopeful that justice can finally be served for Laurie and incredibly appreciative of the law enforcement agencies who have never given up on her.’
Her best friend, Marilyn, told Fox 5 News that she was a fierce athlete despite her size.
‘I was very proud of her and she was stood on her own. Whether it was in the classroom, or us playing co-ed softball, co-ed basketball in college,’ the friend told the station.
After his arrest, it took Dutch authorities less than 24 hours to secure a search warrant for Woodward’s home. Police seized several computers and USB thumb drives from the residence.
It’s unclear when Woodward will be extradited or when his trial will begin.
If convicted, the tech boss could be sentenced to life in prison.
‘It doesn’t really matter what happens because Laurie is not coming back,’ her sister Cindy told KTUV News. ‘We don’t get to win and get our sister back. We get to win and maybe get some justice or some closure.’
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