CT man pursuing trial to fight murder charges tied to 2017 fatal stabbing over alleged drug debt

Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant
·2 min read

A Hartford man has declared his intention to go to trial and fight charges tied to a deadly stabbing in New Britain in 2017 over a drug debt of less than $300.

Rodney Ford, 32, formally decided to pursue a trial during a hearing Thursday in New Britain Superior Court, according to Judicial Branch records.

He has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the Sept. 2, 2017, killing of 66-year-old Willie Woodson.

Ford’s case was added to the state’s trial list following the proceeding Thursday without a definitive start date, court records indicate. He remains held on $1 million bail.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Woodson was found unresponsive by a neighbor in a residence on Tremont Street. The 66-year-old was cold to the touch and had blood in his mouth, having suffered multiple stab wounds.

During the investigation, a witness reported seeing Wallace and Ford leaving the residence around the time of the killing, the affidavit alleges.

Additionally, police said Ford, while being held on an unrelated matter at the Hartford Correctional Center, allegedly made multiple statements to a cellmate that implicated him in Woodson’s murder, according to the warrant affidavit. Among other statements, police wrote in the affidavit, Ford allegedly expressed concern that his DNA would be found in the home where Woodson was killed and that a witness could place him at the crime scene.

Ford, the affidavit continued, allegedly spoke to his cellmate about the best places to discard a murder weapon and said multiple times that he and his cousin had messed up.

According to the affidavit, investigators noted that the cellmate reportedly had information that he said Ford shared with him, specifically about the murder of Woodson, that had not been disclosed to the public or the media.

Investigators wrote in the affidavit that they believe Wallace and Ford — identified in court papers as cousins — killed Woodson over a drug debt of no more than $240.

Ford and Wallace were each charged in the killing in October 2022. Wallace faces the same charges as Ford and has also pleaded not guilty.

Wallace is being held on a $499,000 bond and is expected to appear in court on Jan. 30.