‘Jealous’ John Kevin Woodward Charged With Laurie Houts’ Murder

An “openly jealous” Silicon Valley executive strangled his roommate’s girlfriend to death decades ago out of an “unrequited romantic attachment” to the roommate, police say. Now he’s in custody and facing murder charges a third time. New DNA technology led cops to nab the man for the 1992 murder the 25-year-old computer engineer.

John Kevin Woodward, 58, was arrested at JFK international airport in New York City on Saturday. Prosecutors have charged Woodward with the death of Laurie Houts, a former Adobe employee who was found dead in her car in Mountain View, CA, in September of 1992.

At the time of Houts’ death, Woodward was the roommate of her boyfriend, and was “openly jealous of Ms. Houts, having developed an unrequited romantic attachment to his roommate,” authorities allege.

Woodward, who currently serves as the CEO of the Oakland software firm Readytech, was previously charged in the death of Houts—twice—during the 1990s. He weathered two trials, but both cases resulted in hung juries. After the second trial, Woodward left the U.S. and relocated to the Netherlands, where he has lived ever since. He is currently awaiting extradition to California in New York, authorities said.

“Thanks to updates in DNA technology, the man suspected of murdering Laurie Houts as she left work on September 5, 1992 is now in custody,” a press release from the Mountain View Police Department reads.

Authorities say that detectives began re-examining the Houts case in late 2020 and re-submitted related items for analysis by the Santa Clara County Crime Lab. “During that time, DNA samples collected from evidence at the scene came back matching Woodward’s DNA,” a press release from Mountain View Police reads. “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.”

Rob Baker, Deputy District Attorney for Santa Clara County and head of the office’s Cold Cases division, told Gizmodo that DNA forensics has improved by leaps and bounds since the 199os.

“When Laurie was murdered, forensic DNA evidence was really in its infancy. It was barely used. It was just beginning to gain some traction on a very small level,” said Baker. “We didn’t have that evidence back then.” Baker said that the case didn’t have the “luxury of DNA evidence during the first two trials” that revolved around the murder.

After Woodward’s arrest on Monday, the Houts family released a statement in regards to the case. It reads: “Laurie Anne Houts was a beloved family member and friend to many… 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.”

Scan the headlines these days and you’ll find a veritable swell of cold cases that have been solved via advances in DNA technology and forensic genealogy. If Woodward is convicted based on the new evidence, he will be in good (or, more accurately, bad) company. High-profile cold cases and murders like those involving the Golden State Killer or a bevy of decades-old sexual assaults have been solved in recent years, as investigators turn to new forensic programs to dig up the past and uncover suspects.

An “openly jealous” Silicon Valley executive strangled his roommate’s girlfriend to death decades ago out of an “unrequited romantic attachment” to the roommate, police say. Now he’s in custody and facing murder charges a third time. New DNA technology led cops to nab the man for the 1992 murder the 25-year-old computer engineer.

John Kevin Woodward, 58, was arrested at JFK international airport in New York City on Saturday. Prosecutors have charged Woodward with the death of Laurie Houts, a former Adobe employee who was found dead in her car in Mountain View, CA, in September of 1992.

At the time of Houts’ death, Woodward was the roommate of her boyfriend, and was “openly jealous of Ms. Houts, having developed an unrequited romantic attachment to his roommate,” authorities allege.

Woodward, who currently serves as the CEO of the Oakland software firm Readytech, was previously charged in the death of Houts—twice—during the 1990s. He weathered two trials, but both cases resulted in hung juries. After the second trial, Woodward left the U.S. and relocated to the Netherlands, where he has lived ever since. He is currently awaiting extradition to California in New York, authorities said.

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“Thanks to updates in DNA technology, the man suspected of murdering Laurie Houts as she left work on September 5, 1992 is now in custody,” a press release from the Mountain View Police Department reads.

Authorities say that detectives began re-examining the Houts case in late 2020 and re-submitted related items for analysis by the Santa Clara County Crime Lab. “During that time, DNA samples collected from evidence at the scene came back matching Woodward’s DNA,” a press release from Mountain View Police reads. “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.”

Rob Baker, Deputy District Attorney for Santa Clara County and head of the office’s Cold Cases division, told Gizmodo that DNA forensics has improved by leaps and bounds since the 199os.

“When Laurie was murdered, forensic DNA evidence was really in its infancy. It was barely used. It was just beginning to gain some traction on a very small level,” said Baker. “We didn’t have that evidence back then.” Baker said that the case didn’t have the “luxury of DNA evidence during the first two trials” that revolved around the murder.

After Woodward’s arrest on Monday, the Houts family released a statement in regards to the case. It reads: “Laurie Anne Houts was a beloved family member and friend to many… 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.”

Scan the headlines these days and you’ll find a veritable swell of cold cases that have been solved via advances in DNA technology and forensic genealogy. If Woodward is convicted based on the new evidence, he will be in good (or, more accurately, bad) company. High-profile cold cases and murders like those involving the Golden State Killer or a bevy of decades-old sexual assaults have been solved in recent years, as investigators turn to new forensic programs to dig up the past and uncover suspects.