A Montana man has been charged with the 1993 murder of a woman in West Virginia, police said.
Ricky Louie Woody, 59, of Billings, Montana, was charged in the March 1993 Huntington death of Melissa Martinez. Police said in a news release on Tuesday that she died in hospital with gunshot wounds to her torso and lacerations to her head.
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Witnesses initially provided information leading detectives to Woody, but there was insufficient evidence to charge him. A statement said Woody moved from Huntington to Billings within a year of Martinez’s death.
Billings detectives contacted Huntington police in May 2021, revealing that Woody told them he knew someone who murdered a woman known as “Lisa” in the early 1990s. According to a statement, Woody eventually admitted he was responsible for her death.
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Huntington detectives determined that Woody was referring to Martinez’s death and interviewed him at Billings Prison in September 2021, leading to an indictment. Police say Woody has waived his extradition and will be returned to Huntington once the Montana case is resolved.