GLENDALE

Glendale man arrested in slaying of church janitor

Kelsey Hess
The Republic | azcentral.com

Glendale police say Gustin Ray Woodman, 24, of Glendale, confessed to the crime last month after forensic evidence linked his handgun to the killing of Mark Woodruff.

Glendale police say they've made an arrest in the shooting of a 72-year-old church janitorfound dead in his driveway in June.

The victim, Mark Woodruff, had just finished a shift early June 24 and was fatally shot when his attacker tried to rob him from inside his vehicle.

Gustin Ray Woodman, 24, of Glendale, reportedly confessed to the crime last month after forensic evidence linked his handgun to the slaying, according to a police statement released Wednesday afternoon.

Glendale police say they stopped Woodman two days after the murder while looking for a driver involved in a street-racing incident. According to a police statement, they discovered a handgun while searching his car and noted that it had an empty shell casing in the chamber. At the time, police said they did not have evidence linking Woodman to Woodruff's death.

Police arrested Woodman on suspicion of a weapons violation — he was not supposed to have a gun as a condition of his parole — and a judge soon ordered his release. Police retained the handgun and shell casing for evidence, the statement said.

In early August, the Glendale Police Forensic Unit discovered the connection between the seized gun from the traffic stop and the Woodruff homicide. They tracked Woodman to Pennsylvania, where he was being held in a county jail on suspicion of robbery.

Glendale police detectives say they traveled to Berks County, Pa., to collect additional evidence and to interview Woodman, during which he reportedly confessed to killing Woodruff.

A grand jury indicted Woodman on a charge of first-degree murder, and a warrant was issued for his arrest on Sept.12. He will be extradited to Arizona.