“Guess what? In 2005 people still felt that homosexuality was immoral because eight of the 12 jurors on Brandon's case specifically said it was immoral,” said Philip Crawford, the author of a book called "Railroaded" about Woodruff's case.ĪBC News spoke with several jurors who said Woodruff’s sexuality wasn’t a factor in the jury's decision. They would say, well, ‘Did you know that he was dancing in gay bars? Did you know he had a boyfriend, did you know?'” said Woodruff.ĭuring the investigation, police told friends and family of Woodruff that they "don't care" if he is gay.ĭuring jury selection, eight out of twelve jurors told the court that they believed homosexuality was morally wrong, but they were still allowed to serve on the jury after promising the court they could be fair toward Woodruff.
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I felt like the investigators were able to use that. “I do believe that that’s a major factor. Woodruff claims his sexuality played a role in his arrest and conviction. Over the past decade, advocates for Woodruff say there are red flags surrounding the investigation and his subsequent trial.
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Someone else is letting him take the blame for it,” said Bonnie Woodruff. And murder? Now I know Brandon didn't do that. Woodruff’s grandmother Bonnie Woodruff has supported Woodruff from the beginning and still maintains her grandson is innocent. Authorities could not conclude if the dagger found was the murder weapon and Woodruff denies that the weapon is his. Brandon Woodruff’s former college roommate testified that dagger was the same one Woodruff had in his dorm room. Dennis Woodruff’s blood was on this weapon. In June 2008, a family member found a dagger in the barn of the Woodruff’s old house in Heath, Texas. Woodruff was arrested and charged with capital murder. A murder weapon was never recovered and Woodruff denies stealing the gun. The Lee's gun was never found, but investigators believe it was the same caliber as the weapon used in the crime. Investigators compared a bullet found at the crime scene with a bullet from the Lee home and said they believed they were consistent. Woodruff had been in her home the weekend before his parents were found dead. Michelle Lee, the mother of Woodruff's girlfriend, also contacted law enforcement to report that a gun and bullets were missing from her home. When Woodruff was questioned by police about his whereabouts that night, there were inconsistencies in his timeline. Charla Woodruff was unable to reach them. and the next person to try and contact the couple was Charla Woodruff, who was at college in Arkansas, just after 11 p.m. Norma Woodruff's last phone conversation was with her mother around 9 p.m. However, the medical examiner was not able to confirm the time of death. Police concluded that Norma and Dennis Woodruff must have likely been killed sometime between 9 p.m. Norma Woodruff sustained multiple gunshot wounds and had her neck slashed, investigators said. According to authorities, Dennis Woodruff was found shot once and stabbed nine times. Two days later, Dennis and Norma Woodruff were found murdered in their new home. Woodruff was the last known person to see both of them alive. He told police he left after the family enjoyed a pizza dinner together. The couple was downsizing to help pay college tuition for their two children. On Sunday October 16, 2005, Woodruff visited his parents at their new home in Royse City, Texas. The teen was voted most school spirit and had a steady girlfriend.īut during the investigation of his parents' murders, authorities discovered that while Woodruff attended Abilene Christian University, he would go dancing at gay clubs, was dating men and had even traveled out of state to participate in adult movies. Growing up, former high school classmates said they remember Woodruff as a popular, outgoing, animal lover who was the president of the Future Farmers of America.
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Gay bar grand rapids full#
Watch the full story on "20/20" FRIDAY at 9 p.m. Woodruff grew up in a community outside of Dallas with his mother Norma Woodruff, father Dennis Woodruff and older sister Charla Woodruff.
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“I think that you should look at the totality of the evidence.” I did not kill my parents at all,” Woodruff told “20/20” in an interview. Now, Woodruff has served 13 years of his life sentence and said he’s finally ready to share his story in the first interview after his conviction. After an investigation, Woodruff was charged with capital murder, found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. (NEW YORK) - Brandon Woodruff had appeared to live the normal life of a 19-year-old, small-town Texas kid - but that changed in 2005, when both of his parents were brutally murdered.