In 1992, 25-year-old Laurie Houts was found strangled to death in her own car in the town of Montain View in Santa Clara, California.
According to CBS News the car was discovered near a landfill, about 1.6 kilometers from the woman’s workplace.
Laurie, who worked as a computer engineer at Adobe Systems, was found with a rope around her neck. On the inside of the windscreen, there were clear footprints – something the police interpreted as a sign of fighting.
That same year, John Kevin Woodward was arrested. The man was a roommate with Laurie’s girlfriend, and it was assumed that he was jealous of his friend’s relationship.
Although Woodward had no alibi for the night of the murder, his fingerprints were found on the outside of the car.
Nevertheless, investigators were never able to prove that he had taken the life of Laurie, writes The New York Times.
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Woodward was tried twice in the 1990s. However, due to the weak evidence, the jury never reached an agreement.
The judge ruled that new and better evidence had to be presented in order to bring the man to court a third time.
Then it became quiet for 29 years.
Resumed
In 2021, investigators began sniffing again at the old, unsolved murder case.
The 28-year-old DNA traces that were then found inside Laurie’s car were sent for new analysis.
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Samples from the rope placed around Laurie’s neck matched Woodward’s DNA. In addition, they were matched on several fingerprints found around the dead woman.
A new arrest warrant was issued for Woodward, who had settled in the Netherlands after the last trial in the 1990s.
He was arrested by police on Saturday, July 9, in the Arrivals Hall at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
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“A CEO of a technology company in the Bay Area was arrested last Saturday at JFK airport, after arriving from Amsterdam. He is charged with the strangulation murder of his roommate’s girlfriend in Mountain View 30 years ago “, writes the public prosecutor in a statement on the authorities’ website.
It is also written that Woodward, now 58 years old, is president and CEO of an online company called Readytech.
“He will be brought to justice when investigators take him to Santa Clara County. He risks life in prison if he is convicted “, it is further stated.
FIELD OF DNA: Laurie Hout’s survivors have been given new hope. Photo: Mountain View Police
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– We do not give up
The 58-year-old is currently in custody in New York awaiting deportation to California.
– I am honored that our investigators can finally give Laurie’s survivors a hope that a successful prosecution can be carried out. We will not give up until victims have received justice – no matter what, says Mountain View Police Chief Chris Hsiung in a statement.
In conclusion, Attorney General Jeff Rosen praises the cooperation between the US Department of Justice and the Dutch Department of Justice and Security.
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Dutch police searched Woodward’s home and workplace in the Netherlands, where they seized several computers and USB drives, according to the authorities’ website.
– She was a gem
Laurie Hout’s survivors made the following statement after the arrest:
«Laurie Anne Houts was a beloved family member and a dear friend to many. Although she was only 152.4 centimeters tall, she had a huge heart. She had a loving sense of humor and great courage.
She was a gem for so many, but her life was taken from us at the age of 25. We hope that justice can finally be done for Laurie and greatly appreciate the authorities who have never given her up.»
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