Willie Hart (left) was found guilty of murdering Candace Woodruff (right) outside the Shore Motor Inn in Patchogue in May 2023.

By Michael Mashburn From Daily Voice

A Long Island trucker will spend up to life in prison for murdering his girlfriend inside the cab of his tractor-trailer outside a Patchogue motel.

Willie Hart, 61, of Yaphank, was sentenced Wednesday, Dec. 3, to 22 years to life behind bars after a Suffolk County jury convicted him of second-degree murder in the death of 37-year-old Candace Woodruff.

The killing was captured on surveillance video and left Woodruff battered, asphyxiated, and covered in Ramen noodles.

Hart called police around 2:30 a.m. on May 29, 2023, claiming he had just discovered Woodruff unresponsive on the floor of his cab near where he parked his truck outside the Shore Motor Inn in Patchogue.

First responders instead found Woodruff on the ground outside the cab, not breathing, and Hart with fresh, bleeding scratches across his face, prosecutors said.

Medical examiners later confirmed Woodruff died from asphyxia caused by neck compression, with bruising and abrasions across her face, neck, and body.

Investigators said Woodruff arrived at the motel shortly before 1:25 a.m. with several bags and walked straight into Hart’s cab. Video showed Hart watch her head in that direction before he entered the truck about nine minutes later.

A 35-minute struggle between the couple followed, and was captured on surveillance cameras, prosecutors said.

When Hart eventually exited, video showed him immediately touch the side of his face — the same spot where officers soon documented the fresh scratches.

He then walked back to the motel, retrieved a bag, moved it into a car, and returned to the truck in a disheveled state — and without the necklace he’d been wearing earlier. Only after all that did he call 911.

Inside the truck, detectives found unmistakable signs of a violent struggle. The cab was described as being “covered front to back” with Ramen rice, the same grains later recovered from Woodruff’s mouth. Jewelry belonging to both Hart and Woodruff was found scattered across the floor.

Hart was convicted of second-degree murder by a Suffolk County jury on Wednesday, Oct. 29, as Daily Voice reported.

“The powerful victim impact statement made in court today by Candace Woodruff’s mother is a painful testament to the irreparable harm the defendant has caused,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney. “We hope that today’s sentence brings Candace’s family some semblance of peace.”

Tierney urged anyone experiencing domestic violence to call 911 or Suffolk County’s S.T.O.P. Violence Against Women Program.