36 Years Later: The Murder Of My Classmate, Ethel Woods

I Graduated From Great Falls High In 1986

I'm at the age where my friends are dying. A lot of them. It's freaky, trust me.

There Is A Fence Lined With Teddy Bears Just Out Side Of Dupuyer

The other day, my bestie, Jaime, and I were talking about a classmate who died. She was the first person in our class to die post graduation. She wasn't someone we all knew really well, but we all knew her, and she was murdered. It shocked our 18 year old selves to the core.

It Hits Different When It's A Murder

The murder victim I'm talking about was my classmate, Ethel Woods. Not a lot of us knew her really well because Ethel was a deaf mute. She was around the school though. We all knew her as she was our classmate. The news of her violent, horrifying and early death was almost hard to believe.

Turns Out, The Case Is Even More Horrifying Than That

Back in the 80's, there wasn't nearly as much detail in the news. Especially when that news involves rape, murder, a body dump and a 21 year old deaf-mute woman.

I found some details of the crime on Case Text, and thought, my classmates and others need to know this. Holy cow, it's just so awful.

The Rape, Beating and Murder Of Ethel Woods

On January 4, 1988 2 men, James Charles Olivieri and Dominic Puliafico, picked up a hitchhiking Ethel Woods. When they figured out she was deaf and couldn't speak, they thought  "this would be perfect," (a direct quote from Puliafico to Olivieri) to rape her.

Woods, who communicated by writing notes, asked them if they knew where any parties were, and they said at their place. They took her to their apartment where they ran into a neighbor who also came in.

When Woods refused sexual innuendo, Puliafico choked her until she passed out, Puliafico and Olivieri took off her clothes. They then told the neighbor "it was about to get serious", so the neighbor left.

Puliafico raped and beat her and she fell in and out of consciousness. Olivieri watched and held Woods' feet while he laughed. Olivieri denied ever raping or beating her.

The men left her on the floor, went and ate some mac and cheese, and Puliafico went back in to rape Woods again. The two then took turns hitting her on the back of the head with a bat.

The men later wrapped Woods in a carpet they found at the apartments, weighed it down and dumped her into the river thinking the dams would destroy everything.

Both Men Went To Prison In Montana

From Case Text:

Puliafico:  Took a plea bargain where he pled guilty to deliberate homicide and sexual intercourse without consent. He was sentenced to 100 years for homicide and 25 for rape to run consecutively. He is also designated a dangerous offender.

Olivieri: Went to trial by jury. Found guilty of deliberate homicide and obstructing justice. He was sentenced to 100 years for homicide and 10 years for obstructing justice running consecutively. He, too, is a designated dangerous offender.

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