Post by lace on Oct 1, 2006 21:17:56 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Woman killed at domestic violence shelter, husband sought [/glow] 
September 21, 2006
SYLVA, N.C. (AP) -- A man accused of pushing his way into a domestic violence shelter in North Carolina and killing his estranged wife is being sought Thursday by authorities who believe he fled in a stolen car and may be in Tennessee.
John Raymond Woodring is accused of shooting 48-year-old Bonnie Woodring to death Monday night.
Sylva police Chief Jeff Jamison says Woodring already was wanted on domestic violence charges for allegedly trying to strangle his wife.
Bonnie Woodring had moved to the shelter after the strangulation attempt.
Police say her husband pushed past an employee leaving for the night and gunned his wife down in the kitchen using a shotgun.
Sylva is in Jackson County, North Carolina. That's in the southwest tip of the state, near the Tennessee border
www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=5439801&nav=0RY
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Domestic violence shelters on high alert after N.C. shooting
Woman killed at domestic violence shelter, husband sought
September 21, 2006
KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- Many local domestic violence shelters are on high alert after learning of a deadly shooting in Sylva, North Carolina.
Police in Sylva say John Raymond Woodring pushed his way into a domestic violence shelter, and shot and killed his estranged wife who was staying there.
Investigators believe Woodring is now headed to Tennessee or Pennsylvania, where two of his ex-wives live.
Security has become top priority at many safe houses in the surrounding area.
While visiting one safe house, 6 News met a woman from Sylva, North Carolina. She says she left to come to Tennessee because she did not feel safe at the safe house in Sylva.
The woman, who asked her identity be kept anonymous, says visitors were allowed to come and go as they pleased from the safe house in Sylva.
She feels this murder could have been prevented if security there was tighter. "I'm still upset because it shouldn't have happened."
The murder of Janet Woodring hits close to home for this victim. She says she lived in the shelter for a short time when Woodring did.
She remembers Woodring as a quiet woman who did not talk about her problems and took care of all the other women at the shelter.
The victim says everyone in Sylva knew where the safe house was. "Everyone in Sylva and surrounding counties knows where it is. People all the way into Asheville knows where the safe house in Sylva is."
Keeping the location a secret is a challenge for many safe houses but it's one of the most important security measures.
Most of the homes look like any you'd expect to see in any neighborhood. It's for the safety and peace of mind of the victims living in terror of their abusers inside.
Woodring's murder has made victims and advocates of domestic violence realize how fragile their sense of security really is.
Debra Lawson is a survivor and advocate of domestic violence. She says a big challenge is knowing who you can trust. "Who do you trust to keep it confidential? What happened in Sylva only confirms that are true safety issues surrounding domestic violence."
Security begins at the front door at most safe houses. Most of them have special locks that ensure the door can only be opened from the inside.
No visitors are allowed there. Staff say, by law, even police officers or repair men have to notify them before going there on business.
No mail is delivered to the safe house. They have a post office box set up for mail. Some safe houses work with local cab companies to provide rides for women so they can go to work or run errands.
Drivers have to sign confidentiality agreements promising they will not reveal the location of the safe house.
Many homes are protected by at least half a dozen cameras located outside the house. Most are manned 24 hours a day.
Staff will not let anyone into the home unless they know who they are and why they're there.
Women living there have to sign confidentiality agreements and take an oath promising they will never reveal the location, even after they've left.
The doors and windows are locked at all times.
The homes are also protected by sophisticated alarm systems. If the alarm goes off, the alarm company will call the home. If they are not given the right code word,, police are dispatched immediately.
So what happens if an abuser does find out his victim is living there? Staff members say the victim is relocated to another safe house immediately.
www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=5441683&nav=0RYv
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Search for N.C. man accused of shooting estranged wife expands
SYLVA, N.C. The search for a man accused in the shooting death of his estranged wife at a domestic violence shelter in North Carllina has expanded to include seven states.
Law enforcement agencies in North Carolina, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Texas, Tennessee and Pennsylvania have joined in the manhunt for John "Woody" Raymond Woodring.
His wife, Bonnie Woodring, was killed Monday night.
John Woodring was already wanted on domestic violence charges after being accused of violating a protective order and trying to strangle his wife at her home.
After an attack last week, Bonnie Woodring and her 13-year-old son from a previous marriage moved to the shelter.
Investigators say her husband was carrying a shotgun and pushed past a staff worker who was leaving the shelter for the night. He then shot his wife in the kitchen
www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5442132&nav=1Tj
____________________________________________________
Man accused of shooting estranged wife was counselor at WCU
SYLVA, N.C. - A man accused in the shooting death of his estranged wife at a domestic violence shelter was a teaching assistant at Western Carolina University, where he also was studying for a master's degree in counseling, officials said.
Authorities continued to search Thursday for John "Woody" Raymond Woodring, a Sylva police spokesman said. His wife, Bonnie Woodring, was killed Monday night.
Police said the suspect may be trying to find help in Pennsylvania, where he's from, or Tennessee, where he has connections.
John Woodring, 35, was already wanted on domestic violence charges after being accused of violating a protective order and trying to strangle his wife at her home.
Western Carolina does not usually check the criminal backgrounds of its graduate student teachers, said Leila Tvedt, associate vice chancellor for public relations. Reports about criminal history, if received by the school, would trigger such a search, she said.
"I can assure you that if it had come to their attention they would have examined it closely," she said.
All students are asked if they have committed a crime when applying to the school.
"That doesn't automatically disqualify you as a student," Tvedt said. "However, it certainly raises a red flag."
Woodring's criminal record in Jackson County includes misdemeanors such as forgery, theft and driving while impaired. He was charged with domestic violence while in a previous marriage, and a federal court ordered him to stay away from another woman after a conviction for trespassing.
He became a student at Western Carolina in 2001, where he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology.
After an attack last week, Bonnie Woodring, 48, and her 13-year-old son from a previous marriage moved to the shelter. Investigators said her husband, carrying a shotgun, pushed past a staff worker who was leaving the shelter for the night, then shot his wife in the kitchen.
She and her son were the shelter's only occupants, and the boy was not in the kitchen at the time.
Woodring was believed to have fled in a stolen blue Honda Civic, and was considered armed and dangerous.
Investigators issued a nationwide alert for Woodring and the stolen car, said Officer Tammy Hooper.
On his Web site, Woodring begged for forgiveness in one of his last messages to his wife. He promised he would change and the violence would end.
That message was similar to a newspaper advertisement he paid for almost 10 years ago that sought to win back a previous wife after he was charged with assaulting her.
www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/15574570.htm
September 21, 2006
SYLVA, N.C. (AP) -- A man accused of pushing his way into a domestic violence shelter in North Carolina and killing his estranged wife is being sought Thursday by authorities who believe he fled in a stolen car and may be in Tennessee.
John Raymond Woodring is accused of shooting 48-year-old Bonnie Woodring to death Monday night.
Sylva police Chief Jeff Jamison says Woodring already was wanted on domestic violence charges for allegedly trying to strangle his wife.
Bonnie Woodring had moved to the shelter after the strangulation attempt.
Police say her husband pushed past an employee leaving for the night and gunned his wife down in the kitchen using a shotgun.
Sylva is in Jackson County, North Carolina. That's in the southwest tip of the state, near the Tennessee border
www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=5439801&nav=0RY
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Domestic violence shelters on high alert after N.C. shooting
Woman killed at domestic violence shelter, husband sought
September 21, 2006
KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- Many local domestic violence shelters are on high alert after learning of a deadly shooting in Sylva, North Carolina.
Police in Sylva say John Raymond Woodring pushed his way into a domestic violence shelter, and shot and killed his estranged wife who was staying there.
Investigators believe Woodring is now headed to Tennessee or Pennsylvania, where two of his ex-wives live.
Security has become top priority at many safe houses in the surrounding area.
While visiting one safe house, 6 News met a woman from Sylva, North Carolina. She says she left to come to Tennessee because she did not feel safe at the safe house in Sylva.
The woman, who asked her identity be kept anonymous, says visitors were allowed to come and go as they pleased from the safe house in Sylva.
She feels this murder could have been prevented if security there was tighter. "I'm still upset because it shouldn't have happened."
The murder of Janet Woodring hits close to home for this victim. She says she lived in the shelter for a short time when Woodring did.
She remembers Woodring as a quiet woman who did not talk about her problems and took care of all the other women at the shelter.
The victim says everyone in Sylva knew where the safe house was. "Everyone in Sylva and surrounding counties knows where it is. People all the way into Asheville knows where the safe house in Sylva is."
Keeping the location a secret is a challenge for many safe houses but it's one of the most important security measures.
Most of the homes look like any you'd expect to see in any neighborhood. It's for the safety and peace of mind of the victims living in terror of their abusers inside.
Woodring's murder has made victims and advocates of domestic violence realize how fragile their sense of security really is.
Debra Lawson is a survivor and advocate of domestic violence. She says a big challenge is knowing who you can trust. "Who do you trust to keep it confidential? What happened in Sylva only confirms that are true safety issues surrounding domestic violence."
Security begins at the front door at most safe houses. Most of them have special locks that ensure the door can only be opened from the inside.
No visitors are allowed there. Staff say, by law, even police officers or repair men have to notify them before going there on business.
No mail is delivered to the safe house. They have a post office box set up for mail. Some safe houses work with local cab companies to provide rides for women so they can go to work or run errands.
Drivers have to sign confidentiality agreements promising they will not reveal the location of the safe house.
Many homes are protected by at least half a dozen cameras located outside the house. Most are manned 24 hours a day.
Staff will not let anyone into the home unless they know who they are and why they're there.
Women living there have to sign confidentiality agreements and take an oath promising they will never reveal the location, even after they've left.
The doors and windows are locked at all times.
The homes are also protected by sophisticated alarm systems. If the alarm goes off, the alarm company will call the home. If they are not given the right code word,, police are dispatched immediately.
So what happens if an abuser does find out his victim is living there? Staff members say the victim is relocated to another safe house immediately.
www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=5441683&nav=0RYv
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Search for N.C. man accused of shooting estranged wife expands
SYLVA, N.C. The search for a man accused in the shooting death of his estranged wife at a domestic violence shelter in North Carllina has expanded to include seven states.
Law enforcement agencies in North Carolina, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Texas, Tennessee and Pennsylvania have joined in the manhunt for John "Woody" Raymond Woodring.
His wife, Bonnie Woodring, was killed Monday night.
John Woodring was already wanted on domestic violence charges after being accused of violating a protective order and trying to strangle his wife at her home.
After an attack last week, Bonnie Woodring and her 13-year-old son from a previous marriage moved to the shelter.
Investigators say her husband was carrying a shotgun and pushed past a staff worker who was leaving the shelter for the night. He then shot his wife in the kitchen
www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5442132&nav=1Tj
____________________________________________________
Man accused of shooting estranged wife was counselor at WCU
SYLVA, N.C. - A man accused in the shooting death of his estranged wife at a domestic violence shelter was a teaching assistant at Western Carolina University, where he also was studying for a master's degree in counseling, officials said.
Authorities continued to search Thursday for John "Woody" Raymond Woodring, a Sylva police spokesman said. His wife, Bonnie Woodring, was killed Monday night.
Police said the suspect may be trying to find help in Pennsylvania, where he's from, or Tennessee, where he has connections.
John Woodring, 35, was already wanted on domestic violence charges after being accused of violating a protective order and trying to strangle his wife at her home.
Western Carolina does not usually check the criminal backgrounds of its graduate student teachers, said Leila Tvedt, associate vice chancellor for public relations. Reports about criminal history, if received by the school, would trigger such a search, she said.
"I can assure you that if it had come to their attention they would have examined it closely," she said.
All students are asked if they have committed a crime when applying to the school.
"That doesn't automatically disqualify you as a student," Tvedt said. "However, it certainly raises a red flag."
Woodring's criminal record in Jackson County includes misdemeanors such as forgery, theft and driving while impaired. He was charged with domestic violence while in a previous marriage, and a federal court ordered him to stay away from another woman after a conviction for trespassing.
He became a student at Western Carolina in 2001, where he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology.
After an attack last week, Bonnie Woodring, 48, and her 13-year-old son from a previous marriage moved to the shelter. Investigators said her husband, carrying a shotgun, pushed past a staff worker who was leaving the shelter for the night, then shot his wife in the kitchen.
She and her son were the shelter's only occupants, and the boy was not in the kitchen at the time.
Woodring was believed to have fled in a stolen blue Honda Civic, and was considered armed and dangerous.
Investigators issued a nationwide alert for Woodring and the stolen car, said Officer Tammy Hooper.
On his Web site, Woodring begged for forgiveness in one of his last messages to his wife. He promised he would change and the violence would end.
That message was similar to a newspaper advertisement he paid for almost 10 years ago that sought to win back a previous wife after he was charged with assaulting her.
www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/15574570.htm