When David Haughn arrived at his Upper East Side walk-up apartment in New York City on November 27, 2005, he discovered his roommate, Catherine Woods, dead. Police initially identified it as a crime of passion, but when they discovered a jealousy component, the inquiry took an unexpected turn. In “Murder In The Big Apple: Broken Dreams on Broadway,” the horrifying murder is described along with the investigation that led to Catherine’s killer being apprehended. Let’s investigate the incident’s specifics to learn more, shall we?
How Did Catherine Woods Die?
Catherine Woods, an Ohio native, had a unique relationship with her family. She was also resolved to pursue a career in the performing arts after discovering her affinity for dance at a young age. When Catherine told her parents about her choice, they supported her to follow her ambitions, and at the age of 17, just after graduating from high school, Catherine relocated to New York City. She actually entered the industry in just three years, and throughout that period, she lived in an Upper East Side flat with David Haughn, a friend from childhood.
Catherine had no idea, though, that her drive to succeed on Broadway would lead to a terrible catastrophe. On November 27, 2005, David found her bloody body in their flat and immediately called the police. First responders discovered the victim had already passed away when they got on the scene.
Although Catherine was found comatose and covered in blood by the police, a preliminary medical examination revealed that she had been stabbed numerous times throughout her body. After an examination revealed many lacerations on her neck, it was established that the victim had been stabbed roughly 15 times before she passed away. Authorities believe that Catherine knew the murderer since there was no evidence of forced entry at the crime site, despite the fact that the murder scene showed that Catherine had fought for her life.
Who Killed Catherine Woods?
Naturally, David Haughn was the primary target of the initial inquiry, and the police even named him as a top suspect. He maintained on his innocence and agreed to provide any and all proof, but the police persisted in questioning him since they discovered a shoe print at the crime scene that matched the roommate’s measurements and was ten and a half sizes larger. On top of that, they also learned that David and Catherine had a long history together and had dated in the past. Despite the fact that such events appeared to point towards him, he immediately made it clear that she was dating someone else.
The second man, Paul Cortez, was dating Catherine when she was killed. He was a yoga instructor and aspiring actor. He also proclaimed his innocence, saying he wasn’t anywhere near the victim’s flat on the day of the murder. In fact, Paul gave the police a complete alibi by saying that he had gone grocery shopping at a number of different stores before spending the evening watching football with friends. He also implied that Catherine may have had a stalker who was involved in her murder. Unfortunately, Paul hired a lawyer and was eventually released before the police could obtain his fingerprint.
Police officers looked into Catherine’s stalker in the interim, but they couldn’t find anything that would connect Paul to the crime. When they later went back to the crime scene to conduct another search, they discovered a bloodied handprint on the apartment wall. Since this handprint did not belong to David, investigators concentrated on Paul and discovered that it was quite unusual for him to watch an entire football game. Additionally, according to a couple of his bandmates, he didn’t show up for practise on November 27, 2005, and his cell phone was discovered one block from Catherine’s home at the time of the murder.
Nevertheless, the police were unable to detain Paul because there was no forensic evidence connecting him to the crime. After a while, a woman went to the police and said she wanted to report him for allegedly sexually assaulting her a year earlier. As a result, the police were able to obtain the suspect’s handprint, which matched the handprint found at the crime site exactly. The shoeprints on Paul’s shoes also matched those on Catherine’s body, therefore the police charged Paul with murder right away.
Paul Cortez asserted his innocence and entered a not guilty plea when called to testify in court. Nevertheless, the jury found him guilty of second-degree murder because they thought differently. Paul was consequently given a life sentence in prison with a minimum of 25 years in 2007. He has defended his innocence ever since and even made an effort to get his conviction overturned, but to no avail. Paul is still imprisoned at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York, with a 2030 eligibility date for parole because none of his legal applications were granted.
