A Chillicothe man twice convicted of the same murder will not stand trial for a third time.
Mark Woodworth was convicted in two trials of the 1990 murder of Cathy Robertson and injuring her husband as the two slept. Both convictions were eventually vacated by the state supreme court.
And on Tuesday, the 24-year-long legal saga appeared to come to an end a special prosecutor said Woodworth wouldn’t go before a jury again, and the charges against him have been dropped.
Woodworth’s attorney Robert Ramsey says it’s the vindication his client has long been looking for.
“I could feel Mark lose about a hundred pounds when I told him. It was like a big weight had been lifted off his shoulders,” Ramsey said.
He added that the decision to drop the charges is definitive proof that Woodworth had nothing to do with Robertson’s murder.
“The state, through the special prosecutor, has determined that there is not any evidence that Mark Woodworth is guilty. So under the law, and in fact, he is innocent,” Ramsey said.
Woodworth has been free on bond since his second conviction was overturned in 2013. Ramsey says Woodworth will spend his time working on his family farm and in their welding shop. More legal drama might be on the horizon, however. Ramsey says he and his client are discussing a potential civil suit.
