Home invasion murder trial of local man could start next week

It was intended to be a quick armed home invasion with theft as the motivation. But in the process Bradley Eaton, then 20, was killed.

Now Joseph Woodard faces a first-degree murder charge, with opening statements in his trial coming possibly as early as next week.

Testimony is expected to include how Woodard, 21, passed a map to where he hid the murder weapon to a jail cell mate, who then gave it to the police. He also passed notes with the code "CD" for gun and "redrum" (murder spelled backwards) for the attempted contract killing of two witnesses, police said. Evidence will also include a gun that one of the would-be robbers left behind and tennis shoes found in Woodard's home with the victims blood still on them.

Police say that on Aug. 23, 2006, Woodard, along with brothers 19 year-old Sergio and 21-year-old Juan Acosta left their Ahwatukee Foothills homes and drove to Chandler, intending to rob Eaton and his roommate.

But as soon as they pulled up to the 2700 block of East Shannon Court an observant resident noted the suspicious vehicle and jotted down the license plate number.

According to police, when the trio busted into the home, Eaton was shot by Woodard and later died. The trio escaped with stolen jewelry, but in the process Juan Acosta left his gun behind.

Police quickly connected the suspicious car to the Acosta family and within a few hours found Sergio Acosta and Woodard in Ahwatukee Foothills and both were quickly arrested. Juan Acosta wasn't found and is still on the lose and being sought by police.

When Chandler detectives searched Woodard's Ahwatukee Foothills home, where he lived with his mother and step-father, they found Eaton's blood on his tennis shoes, but didn't find the murder weapon.

While the murder case was probably strong enough for a conviction, Woodard inadvertently helped Chandler detectives tie up the lose ends.

In the Fourth Avenue Jail Woodard met a friend and immediately began telling him of the shooting and how he needed two witnesses killed. He also feared the police would find the murder weapon and wanted that found.

The inmate, Jesse Flores, offered to have a friend get the hidden gun and use it to kill the two witnesses so police would suspect that Juan Acosta was on the lose instead of hiding, possibly in Mexico.

Instead, Flores turned the information over to police.

"It was his idea to do away with the witnesses, my idea to use the gun," Flores testified Monday during a hearing to see if the information gathered by Flores would be admissible in the trial.

Superior Court Judge Connie Contes is expected to make a ruling Tuesday, just before jury selection begins.

Chandler police couldn't initially find the gun, even with the map that Woodard provided, but he drew another one and passed it along to Flores, who passed it to police. With the help of a metal detector club from Apache Junction, police quickly found the gun in a wash near the 12400 block of South 38th Street, where Woodard lived with his mother and step-step father.

Police quickly tied the weapon to Eaton's murder and discovered that it had been stolen in Yavapai County from the home of a friend of Woodard's mother.

Since then, Woodard entered a plea in Yavapai County Superior Court to second-degree burglary and two counts of theft.

Sergio Acosta has also agreed to a plea agreement and has admitted to second-degree murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Woodard faces one count of first-degree murder, as well as conspiracy to commit murder and armed robbery charges.

His trial is expected to last about three weeks. If convicted he could face up to life in prison.

Police are still seeking Juana Acosta. Anyone with any information is asked to call Silent Witness at (602) 261-8600, where a cash reward is available for anonymous information that leads to his arrest.