Naman Shrestha
When Dennis and Norma Woodruff were found brutally killed inside their new Royse City home in 2005, the police suspected their son, Brandon Dale Woodruff, of the crime. The entire case, with all its twists and turns, is covered in detail in ABC’s ’20/20: Double Life, Double Murder.’ Although Brandon was convicted of the murder, he maintained his innocence and was supported by many others in his family as well as others. The episode also features insightful interviews with several loved ones of the victims, some against Brandon while others believing his claims of innocence.
Brandon Dale Woodruff Was Suspected of Murdering His Parents
Born around the mid-1980s to Dennis and Norma Woodruff, Brandon Dale Woodruff moved to Royse City, Texas, with his family, which also consisted of his elder sister, Charla, in 2005. In his Rockwall High School days, he was known to be a huge animal lover and an integral member of the Future Farmers of America. Described as an outgoing and popular individual, he also had a girlfriend named Morgan Lee. He was studying at Abilene Christian University at the time, and he and his family were in the process of moving from their old house in Heath to a new one in Royse City.
On October 18, 2005, when a family friend visited the Woodruff residence after nobody could get in touch with the couple for two days, both Dennis and Norma were found on the couch, covered in blood. After the police arrived at the gruesome crime scene, they learned that while Dennis was shot in the face once and stabbed nine times, Norma was shot multiple times and her neck was slashed. As the investigation was launched in an attempt to find the perpetrator, fingers were pointed at the murdered couple’s son, Brandon, who led a secret double life that hardly anybody knew about. Since he was allegedly the last person to see his parents on October 16, 2005, the night of the murder, the investigators paid close attention to him and began interviewing his friends to learn more about him.
Dark and Unexpected Truths About Brandon Was Revealed During the Investigation
Upon digging deeper into Brandon’s life, the authorities learned that he was allegedly dating men, going to gay clubs, and even participating in gay pornographic movies. Not only did the detectives find inconsistencies in the suspect’s account of his whereabouts on the fateful night, but they also had the testimonies of his friends that did not match his alibi. For instance, Janssen Barnett claimed that she and her boyfriend, Robert Martinez, had plans to meet him, but Brandon showed up late, around 10:20 pm. A neighbor named Randall Lunz, who lived near the old Woodruff residence in Heath also admitted to seeing Brandon at the property between 10 pm and 11 pm on the night of the murder.
In light of all the circumstantial evidence and testimonies against him, the police arrested Brandon Woodruff and charged him with the capital murder of his parents, Dennis and Norma, on October 24, 2005. A couple of years later, in July 2008, Norma’s sister, Linda Matthews, came across a dagger at the Heath property, and the prosecution alleged that it was one of the murder weapons used to stab the victims as Dennis’ DNA-matching blood was found on it. Brandon’s college roommate claimed that he recognized the dagger, which he saw in their dorm room at some point. As for the other murder weapon — the gun — it was never recovered, but a gun and bullets went missing from Brandon’s girlfriend’s house around the time of the murder.
Trying to Prove His Alleged Innocence, Brandon is Incarcerated in a Texas Prison
More than three years after the horrific murder of Dennis and Norma Woodruff, the trial for the accused, Brandon Dale Woodruff, commenced in March 2009. While the prosecution presented numerous witnesses and evidence against the defendant, the defense argued that the evidence was circumstantial. However, the jury returned with a guilty verdict and convicted him of capital murder. Soon, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Following his sentencing, Brandon maintained his innocence and appealed the court’s conviction several times with the help of his grandmother.
After she ran out of money to fund his appeals, the Innocence Project of Texas stepped up and provided the resources to aid further investigation and help him clear his name. The organization believed that the prejudice against him due to his sexuality played a role in his conviction. In April 2022, several people went before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin and protested “Free Brandon Woodruff” publicly before many individuals continued protesting outside the Texas Capitol. As of today, Brandon is serving his sentence at Mark W. Michael Unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas, while maintaining his innocence and fighting for his freedom.
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