Willie Hart of Yaphank accused of slaying girlfriend found not breathing in Patchogue motel, police say

A Yaphank man was held without bail Monday after pleading not guilty to a murder charge in connection with the death of his girlfriend, whose body was found by authorities in May at a Patchogue motel, according to Suffolk County authorities.

Willie Hart, 59, of Long Island Avenue, was arraigned in Riverhead on a charge of second-degree murder in the death of Candace Woodruff, 37, of Katy, Texas. 

He faces a sentence of 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

During the early morning hours of May 29, 2023, Hart, a long-haul trucker, called police and reported that Woodruff was unresponsive on the floor of his tractor cab, which was parked near the Shore Motor Inn in Patchogue, prosecutors said. 

When Suffolk police responded to the scene, they found Woodruff on the ground in front of the cab, bleeding from the nose and unconscious, records show. She was taken to Long Island Community Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

Hart told the responding officers that Woodruff came to the cab after they got into an argument in their motel room, and that when he went to check on her, he found her on the floor, and called 911, prosecutors wrote in their bail application. He also alleged that earlier in the evening, Woodruff had accused him of cheating on her, scratched his face, and left the motel room with her belongings.

Authorities said Woodruff had cuts and bruises on her head, face, neck, and extremities and that her cause of death was asphyxia by neck compression, prosecutors said.

Video surveillance shows Woodruff left the motel room crying at 1:25 a.m. after an argument with Hart and headed to the tractor cab carrying several bags, officials said.

The couple remained in the trailer cab for 37 minutes "during which time what appeared to be a struggle ensued," prosecutors wrote. "After that struggle, the defendant was captured on video exiting the cab, touching his face, and sitting with his head down outside of the trailer, before he casually walked back to the motel, retrieved a bag which he placed in a vehicle, and walked back to the cab, where he called 911."

The interior of the cab, authorities said, revealed signs of a struggle, including food and jewelry strewed on the floor, while Hart appeared disheveled and bleeding from the face.

Christopher Brocato, Hart's Central Islip-based defense attorney, said his client maintains his innocence.

“We’re eager to scrutinize the evidence when it’s turned over,” he said.

Hart has previous convictions for criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession and criminal sale of a controlled substance, assault, attempted assault and driving while intoxicated. 

With Grant Parpan and John Valenti

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.