#Susan woods dateline trial

Miller, who was instrumental in Hatley’s arrest, said, “It’s not uncommon for long prison sentences to be greatly reduced due to prison overcrowding,” but expressed his disappointment at the decision. Many expressed their shock at his early release, with his son Nicholas Hatley telling the Empire-Tribune he was “unsure” why Hatley got an earlier release and that he believed the community should be told about his release. According to the outlet, Hatley was released from the Hunstville prison at the age of 52 and was heading to a Midland halfway house for several months. In 2007, Hatley was sentenced to 30 years in prison after he confessed to killing Woods in 1987, but he was released after only 11 years in 2018, the Empire-Tribune reported in August 2018. Hatley Was Released From Prison in 2018 After Serving Only 11 Years of a 30-Year Sentence Where is Joseph Scott Hatley, Susan Woods’ convicted killer, today?

#Susan woods dateline trial

He confessed to Woods’ murder a week before his trial in 2007 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Hatley, who was the cousin of Woods’ best friend, was charged with her murder while in jail facing aggravated sexual assault charges in another case, the outlet reported. Authorities were surprised that DNA from cigarette butts and fingerprints matched Hatley’s because he hadn’t been on their radar until that point, the Empire-Tribune wrote. Don Miller to identify a suspect, Joseph Scott Hatley, based on fingerprints found at the crime scene, the outlet reported. Woods’ murder remained unsolved for 20 years until new DNA technology allowed Stephenville Police Department Lt. The medical examiner determined that she died of asphyxiation caused by either strangulation or drowning and had died two to three days prior, the Stephenville Empire-Tribune reported. On July 28, 1987, the body of 30-year-old Susan Woods was found by her father at her Stephenville, Texas, home, partially submerged in the bathtub.