Bay Area CEO Arrested In Connection With 1992 Homicide

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — The suspect in a nearly 30-year-old South Bay homicide case was arrested Saturday in New York, authorities said.

John Kevin Woodward, 58, who currently lives in the Netherlands, was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport after his plane landed, Mountain View police said in a news release.

Woodward is the President and CEO of Readytech, an Oakland-based online training company, the Santa Clara District Attorney's office said in a news release.

DNA evidence linked Woodward to the Sept. 5, 1992 killing of 25-year-old Laurie Houts, police said.

Houts was killed after she left work at Adobe Systems on Charleston Road and her body was found less than two miles from where she worked, police said.

Houts was described as an avid athlete who was ahead of her time as a woman working in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field.

“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,” Mountin View Police Chief Chris Hsiung said.

“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.”

Detectives in late 2020 re-submitted items from the investigation to the Santa Clara County Crime Lab for analysis, police said.

The DNA test samples and fingerprints collected at the crime scene, coupled with evidence that pointed to Woodward as the primary suspect gathered during the original investigation, led the District Attorney’s Office to issue a warrant for Woodward’s arrest, police said.

Woodward was arrested in 1992 in connection with Laurie’s death, and two subsequent trials resulted in mistrials, police said.

Woodward relocated to the Netherlands after the two trials, police said.

“Laurie Anne Houts was a beloved family member and friend to many,” the Houts family said in a statement.

“Although she was only 5’ tall, she had a huge heart and her humor and spunk were endearing to all. 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.”

The Houts family created the Laurie Houts Memorial Girls Athletics Scholarship in support of graduating female seniors who have been involved in sports all four years and plan to get a degree within a STEM discipline.

To learn more about this program or to donate, visit here.

Correction: A previous version of this article reported the victim's name as Laurie Holts. Her name is Laurie Houts.