SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y. – Willie Hart, a 59-year-old resident of Yaphank, has been indicted on charges of Murder in the Second Degree, following accusations of murdering his girlfriend, Candace Woodruff, 37, from Texas. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney made the announcement on Monday.
The incident took place on May 29, around 2:25 a.m. Hart, a long-haul trucker, contacted the police, stating he had found Woodruff unresponsive on the floor of his tractor cab.
The cab was parked near the Shore Motor Inn in Patchogue. Upon their arrival, police found Woodruff on the ground, not breathing, with multiple injuries on her body. She was later pronounced dead at Long Island Community Hospital.
The Suffolk County Medical Examiner declared the cause of Woodruff’s death as asphyxia by neck compression. Investigation insights showed that when Woodruff left her motel room for the tractor cab, she bore no visible injuries. Surveillance footage caught an apparent struggle between the two inside the tractor cab, lasting about 37 minutes. After exiting the cab, Hart returned to the motel room before contacting 911.
Physical evidence from the cab suggests a scuffle took place, including scattered Ramen noodles which were also found in Woodruff’s mouth. Hart was observed leaving the cab post-struggle in a disheveled state, blood on his face.