Over the weekend, the roommate — now the CEO of a small software company — was arrested as 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 will stand trial for the third time for Houch’s strangulation murder. “I was excited and very excited,” Houts’ sister told The Mercury News. “Then you get off of it. Nothing is going to bring your loved one back. They have gone. Even if it feels good in a way to be fair, it doesn’t cure the problem. It’s not like if you win, you get 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. A rope was around her neck and there were marks on the inside of her windshield, which the district attorney’s office called “marks of her struggle with Woodward.” Forensic science at the time was able to match Woodward to fingerprints found outside the car, but investigators could not prove he was inside the vehicle. However, when Houch’s friend called Woodward under police surveillance shortly after the 25-year-old’s death, he “did not deny” killing Houch. Instead, according to a police summary of the matter, Woodward asked what evidence authorities had against him and suggested to the roommate that they “meet in a parking lot” to talk more. Woodward, who had no alibi for the night Houtz was killed, was arrested that same year. Prosecutors alleged that Woodward had developed an “unrequited” romantic interest in Houch’s boyfriend. The theory was criticized as homophobic at Woodward’s first trial by his defense attorney in 1995, 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 dispute, the jury hearing Woodward’s second trial was again hung, this time deciding 7-5. The judge soon dismissed the case for 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’s statement said. Investigators at both the Santa Clara County Crime Lab and the Mountain View Police Department matched both Woodward’s genetic material and fibers on his sweatpants 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, had also obtained a warrant and seized several 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 The Daily Beast sent to the company’s general information department. “I want Ms. Houch’s family and friends to know that we never gave up on her,” Rosen said Monday. “Neither time nor distance will prevent us from learning the truth and seeking justice.” Houch’s family also released a statement after Woodward’s arrest was announced, remembering their daughter’s heart, humor and swagger. “The way Lori lived and treated people was an amazing example of what was 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 will finally be served for Laurie and we are incredibly appreciative of the law enforcement agencies that never gave up on her. “
