Irish-Americans usually like reading stories about death and dashed dreams so it is only fitting that a woman named Erin Moriarty co-authored a book called
Death of a Dream. Paul LaRosa, her co-author, has no genetic predisposition toward obsessing about these matters but his fascination with doom and gloom may have emerged during his days as a New York
Daily News
reporter.
Death of a Dream
(Pocket Books, 2008) chronicles the events leading up to, and following, the brutal murder of 21-year-old Catherine Woods in November 2005. New York City tabloid readers may remember the case because Woods, an accomplished dancer who moved to Manhattan from her native Ohio in search of Broadway stardom, quietly worked as a stripper.
Moriarty, an on-air correspondent with CBS's
48 Hours Mystery, was drawn to the story because she's an Ohio native and an Ohio State University graduate, the same institution where Woods' father serves as director of the marching band. LaRosa, who resides in Brooklyn and is a producer for the same CBS program, worked on the
48 Hours Mystery
segments in 2006 and 2007 which looked at Woods' life and death.
To promote their book on the day of its national release, Moriarty and LaRosa are appearing on Tuesday, March 25 at The Mysterious Book Shop, 58 Warren Street, lower Manhattan between 6:30 and 8 p.m.
If you're into true crime stories,
Death of a Dream
is going to be a quick, interesting read. The trial of the individual who was eventually convicted of Woods' murder is covered but not at the expense of explaining who Catherine Woods was, why she left Ohio for New York City at the age of 18, and the daunting challenges facing those who pursue a career in show business.
The prosecution built its case around two pieces of evidence that, even two decades ago, would not probably have been available to them: cell phone records and a retail store's surveillance videotapes.
One of Woods' friends told police after her death that he was not far from his 106th Street apartment in Manhattan when making cell phone calls to Woods on the last night of her life. She resided on Manhattan's 86th Street. The cell phone towers in the neighborhood indicated, however, that this individual was in the vicinity of 86th Street when calling Woods. Moreover, the killer left a bloody footprint at the murder scene, indicating the perpetrator was wearing a boot, not a shoe. The jurors who saw a surveillance video of the accused murderer on the day of Woods' death were convinced they saw him wearing boots. An aside: the defense attorneys wanted the jury to see the video, believing it would exonerate their client. Instead, the book indicates, it ended up convicting him as the last two hold-outs voted to convict after reviewing the tape.
In the case's aftermath, the jurors were left to wonder how a seemingly mild-mannered man in his 20s, who worked as a fitness instructor, could be capable of such violence. One of the few redeeming things to emerge from this sordid tale is Woods' killer will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.
