Lawrence police in court documents alleged that the man they suspect of killing 35-year-old Jina Anne Reyes-Woehler had blood on his clothing and knew Reyes-Woehler had been stabbed without being told anything about her injuries.
Aaron B. Wright, 63, has been charged with second-degree murder in Reyes-Woehler’s Aug. 29 stabbing death behind the former VFW building in the 1800 block of Massachusetts Street.
Allegations in affidavits have not been proved in court. Police affidavits are intended to support criminal charges and therefore tend to portray details of an investigation in a light unfavorable to the defendant.
Wright has not yet had a preliminary hearing, meaning a judge has not yet determined whether there is enough evidence that he should face a trial in this case.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
Detective Dean Brown wrote in the affidavit that Wright had told a bus driver the morning of Aug. 29 that there was a dead body behind the VFW.
Officers found Reyes-Woehler there with several stab wounds to her body, according to the affidavit. Investigators believe she died sometime between roughly 11:30 p.m. the night before and when officers were dispatched to the scene just after 7 a.m. that Friday.
Officer Austin Corbitt spoke to Wright at the Dillons grocery store across the street, according to the affidavit.
“Upon contacting Wright, Officer Corbitt observed Wright had what appeared to be blood on his hooded sweatshirt. Wright also told Officer Corbitt he believed the deceased female had been ‘stab…’, then appeared to trail off and stated he believed the female died from alcohol,” the affidavit alleges.
Wright told Corbitt he had a pocket knife on him, and Corbitt collected a folding knife with a roughly 3-inch blade from Wright. The knife showed a presumptive positive test for blood, according to the affidavit.
Wright waived his right to an attorney to speak to police, according to the affidavit.
He told police names of two other people who he said he believed could have killed Reyes-Woehler, alleging that one of those people may have removed his knife from his pocket and returned it without him knowing.
However, “Wright’s own statements indicate he was alone with Woehler behind the VFW when Woehler would have been killed and Wright had numerous areas of blood, some areas appearing to be saturated, on numerous layers of clothing,” the affidavit alleges.
Police allege that Wright said he didn’t know why the blood would’ve been on his clothing, but that “Wright acknowledged that he may have gotten in a fight with Jina or done something to her, but he doesn’t remember because he would have been blacked out,” according to the affidavit.
The affidavit does not make clear a motive for Reyes-Woehler’s killing.
Family and friends described Reyes-Woehler, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, as a talented artist who could always lighten the mood and make people laugh. She was a mother of a daughter and a son, and she’s also survived by her parents, three sisters, a brother and numerous relatives and friends.
All defendants in criminal cases should be presumed not guilty unless they are convicted. Wright’s defense attorney listed in court records did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment for this article.
Wright is currently being held in the Douglas County jail on a $1 million cash or surety bond. His next court date is a status conference set for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19 in Douglas County District Judge Amy Hanley’s courtroom.
If local news matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat — get the latest news from the Times delivered to your inbox:
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
This post is by the Lawrence Times news team.
If you have news tips, questions, comments, concerns, compliments or corrections for our team, please reach out and let us know what’s on your mind. Email us at Hello@LawrenceKSTimes.com (don’t forget the KS!), or find more contact info and a quick contact form at LawrenceKSTimes.com/contact.
Follow us so you won’t miss the local news that matters most to you:
Related posts:
Molly Adams / Lawrence TimesLawrence police allege homicide suspect had blood on clothing, knife in pocket
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Latest Lawrence news:
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
