Laurie Houts

Laurie Ann Houts was born to Virginia Ann Furrer (1933 - 2002). She was an only child born in Las Vegas, Nevada, and raised in San Jose, California aka "Silicon Valley". Laurie was murdered in 1992, after leaving work for the day at Adobe Systems on Charleston Road in Mt. View, Santa Clara County, California. Her body was discovered in her car about 2 miles away from work. The police had leads as to what happened to Laurie, and in both 1995 and 1996, a man was unsuccessfully prosecuted for Laurie's murder. The jury was hung both times. In 2022, thanks to advanced DNA processing, new evidence at the crime scene pointed again to the same man. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and the Mountain View Police Department both pursued the charges once more. John Kevin Woodward was arrested at John F Kennedy airport upon his arrival in the United States. He was returning from a business trip to the Netherlands where his company Readytech is based. The company also has offices in Oakland, California. Three decades after Laurie was murdered, the case is no longer a dormant murder. To read more about the current circumstances, see Mountain View: New DNA analysis means 1992 Laurie Houts killing will be up for a third trial. The authorities suspect that the murderer, John Kevin Woodward, was in love with Laurie's boyfriend - who was John's roommate - and strangled her in her car out of jealousy. See a July 2022 update of the case at 'Openly Jealous' Tech CEO Murdered His Roommate's Girlfriend. UPDATE: John Kevin Woodward appealed his 2022 arrest and the appeal was upheld, citing "double jeopardy". In March of 2024, a three judge panel from the 6th District of Appeals overruled the appeal and decided that John Woodward could stand trial for murder. Woodward's case may now proceed to the California State Supreme Court. In the meantime, Woodward has been living in Modesto, California under house arrest after posting bail. Laurie's family "lauded the news of Woodward's case surviving the initial dismissal, saying it was 'relieved by the recent decision of the appellate court to overturn the lower court's ruling. It's a big win in our ongoing fight for justice, but we know there's still a long road ahead before this case sees a jury . . . Together we're sticking by each other's side until we reach the end goal. Justice for Laurie." - San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, California), March 15, 2024 on page B1.