Man to Stand Trial in 20-Year-Old Murder Case

RIVERSIDE - A man accused of strangling a neighbor in her Riverside apartment more than 20 years ago must stand trial for murder, a judge ruled today.

Leonard Terrance Woods, 54, of Moreno Valley could face 50 years to life in prison if convicted of killing Judith Goodman at her Gould Street residence on Feb. 26, 1992.

Following a nearly three-hour-long preliminary hearing, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jean Leonard ruled there was sufficient evidence to bound Woods over for trial on the murder count and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon during a felony.

Leonard set a post-indictment arraignment for June 7.

Woods remains in custody in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.

The prosecution called one witness during the hearing, Riverside police Detective Mike Medici.

According to his testimony, a DNA match linked Woods to Goodman's murder. The forensic identification was confirmed in 2010 after RPD cold case investigators submitted clippings of the victim's fingernails to a state crime lab for analysis, Medici testified.

A profile of the suspected killer was developed, and not long afterward, investigators sought out Woods for a sample of his DNA, which he provided in response to a court order, according to Deputy District Attorney Mike Carney.

He said Woods had been a prime suspect from day one, but authorities lacked enough evidence to justify charges.

Investigators questioned the defendant immediately after Goodman's death and noticed scratch marks on his face, which he attributed to a tussle with his then-girlfriend, according to police.

Woods and Goodman worked at the same manufacturing firm, and it was his recommendation that prompted the 44-year-old woman to move to the Riverside apartment complex, according to prosecutors. -

Whether the defendant and victim had a relationship outside of work has not been disclosed.

When Goodman didn't show up for work, family and friends contacted police, who forced their way into the woman's apartment, discovering her dead on her bedroom floor, bound at the wrists and ankles with plastic zip ties, her mouth covered in duct tape.

Goodman had deep lacerations on the back of her head that injured her, but did not kill her, according to investigators.

A decorative hay hook that had been mounted on the wall of her apartment was found near her body and could have been used in the assault, but a conclusive determination was never made. Use of the hook during the homicide was alleged in the criminal complaint against Woods, but the judge dismissed the allegation based on insufficient evidence.

''She had trauma beyond the strangulation,'' Carney said. ''But the crux of the case is the DNA.''