AFTER being sentenced to life without parole in 2009, a man is still fighting his conviction. Brandon Woodruff, 35, was convicted of stabbing and shooting his parents and charged with capital murder. He claims an anti-gay bias influenced the outcome of the case. Woodruff received his sentence three years after his parents, Dennis, 43, and […]
AFTER being sentenced to life without parole in 2009, a man is still fighting his conviction.
Brandon Woodruff, 35, was convicted of stabbing and shooting his parents and charged with capital murder.
He claims an anti-gay bias influenced the outcome of the case.
Woodruff received his sentence three years after his parents, Dennis, 43, and Norma Woodruff, 42, were found shot and stabbed at their home in Royse City, Texas.
Brandon claims he was falsely depicted as a “wild gay man,” living a double life.
This was a stark comparison to the more conservative people who lived in his town and made up the jury.
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His grandmother, Bonnie Woodruff has always stood by his innocence, even paying his legal fees along the way.
A special 20/20 episode airing Friday night explores Brandon’s claims.
In the interview with John Quinones, Brandon says: “I’m innocent. I did not kill my parents at all … I think you should look at the totality of the evidence.”
Brandon was enrolled at a Christian university when his parents’ bodies were found on October 18, 2005, reports Daily Mail.
The bodies were found by a friend in the living room of their new home.
There were bullet and stab wounds to the couple’s neck and faces. It is believed they died the weekend before the bodies were found.
There were no signs of forced entry and nothing was stolen, but the alleged killer did clean up in one of the bathrooms before leaving the scene.
Authorities found irregularities in Brandon’s story about where he was and arrested him six days later.
He was believed to be the last person to see his parents alive after having dinner with them.
Friends of Brandon testified he was supposed to pick them up at 5pm in Dallas, but he didn’t arrive until after 10. They also claimed he was nervous when they tried to search his bag.
Brandon’s defense said he was nervous because his friends didn’t know he was gay.
Authorities claimed he was living a double life while skipping classes to go to Dallas for “wild adventures.”
The prosecution argued Brandon killed his parents for life insurance money to fund this double life.
The most damning piece of evidence linking him to the crime scene is a dagger that contained Dennis’ blood. Brandon’s college roommate testified that he had seen the same dagger in their shared dorm room
Investigators argued the dagger was the murder weapon, but Brandon claimed his father had accidentally cut his hand with it long before.
The Texas chapter of the Innocence Project recently began reviewing evidence that could potentially lead the organization to advocate for him.
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ABC’s 20/20 special on Brandon will air at 9pm on Friday and will become available on Hulu Saturday.
It will feature interviews with Brandon’s grandmother, members of the 2009 jury, the deputy director of the Innocence Project of Texas, and footage of police interviews.
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