Psychologist goes on trial in slaying of former fiancee

From the the FW Star-Telegram

It's been more than two years since Deborah Houchin's body was found smoldering on a tarp behind a mechanic's shop in rural Cooke County.

But those who were close to the marriage and family counselor still want to know how her ex-fiance and former business partner could have ended up as the man accused of fatally shooting her three times in July 2005 before her body was dumped.

Testimony in the murder trial of Lester Winningham, 59, a licensed psychologist who was once engaged to Houchin, is scheduled to begin today.

The case is being tried in District Judge Mollee Westfall's 371st District Court. Winningham faces 5 to 99 years in prison if convicted of killing Houchin.

"How she got wrapped up with someone who would murder her is beyond me," said George Marler of Fort Worth. Marler and his wife, Luana, befriended Houchin in the U.S. Virgin Islands more than a decade ago during a scuba diving adventure. Marler owned a diving school at the time. "She was a brilliant person."

Prosecutor Greg Miller declined to comment on the case.

Winningham's attorney could not be reached for comment.

Houchin's co-workers contacted Arlington police July 25 after she failed to meet with a client that Monday morning. They told officers that they saw her as she left work late July 21, a Thursday.

Houchin, 56, was divorced with no children, lived alone and took three-day weekends, which is why it was hard to know exactly when she went missing, according to previous reports.

Winningham has been a suspect since her body was found, police said.

Houchin shared an office with Winningham in central Arlington. The two split after Winningham refused to sign a prenuptial agreement.

Two months before she was slain, Houchin was still living in her Interlochen neighborhood home; Winningham had moved into a $435-a-month apartment near their office, according to an affidavit.

Houchin, who apparently feared Winningham, told her sister that if anything happened to her, the authorities should question Winningham, according to the affidavit.

Court records detail the couple's relationship, their engagement on Christmas Day in 2004, and how they broke up after Winningham refused to sign a prenuptial agreement.

The couple had lived together on and off in Houchin's home in the 2300 block of Westwood Drive, court records show.

Winningham had secured a passport, bought a plane ticket to Germany and withdrawn $20,000 in cash from his bank account in the days after Houchin's body was found, investigators have said. However, Winningham's attorney at the time said Winningham canceled his flight to Germany the day before his arrest.