Shraman Mitra
In October 2005, the residents of Royse City, Texas, witnessed a terrifying sight when Dennis and Norma Woodruff were found murdered inside their home. Although the crime initially looked like a robbery gone wrong, the police soon ascertained that the individual responsible knew the victims personally. ABC’s ’20/20: Night Terror’ as well as ’20/20: Double Life Double Murder’ take the viewer through the gruesome murder and follow the police investigation that leads much closer to home than expected.
Dennis and Norma Woodruff Were Stabbed, Slashed, and Shot
To the outside world, Dennis and Norma Woodruff had a wonderful life and were quite content alongside their son and daughter. The couple resided in Royse City, Texas, yet they had just moved from the city of Heath in Rockwell County, where they were quite popular thanks to everything they did for the community. Their family and friends praised their generous and kindhearted natures. Moreover, they were also looking forward to being empty nester since both their kids were now grown and attending university; hence, the gruesome murders were quite shocking to all.
On the night of October 16, 2005, Dennis and Norma’s daughter, Charla, called her parents at around 11 pm but got no response. She immediately informed her extended family, who were also unable to get in touch with the couple. They then asked the police to conduct a welfare check the following day, who decided not to force their way into the house despite not receiving any response. Thus, the bodies of Dennis and Norma were discovered only on Tuesday, October 18, after Charla’s aunt asked a longtime family friend to break into the residence and figure out what was wrong.
Once first responders reached the crime scene, they found the couple sitting beside each other on the couch, covered in blood. They were immediately declared dead, and an initial examination proved that there wasn’t any significant struggle before the murder. However, the scene looked like a horror movie with blood all over the couch. There was even a blood trail leading away from the room into the bathroom, where the killer washed up before leaving.
Later, an autopsy determined that while Norma died from a slash across her neck and five gunshot wounds, Dennis was stabbed nine times in his face, neck, and chest before being shot in the face. Surprisingly enough, there were no signs of forced entry, and the only valuables missing were the couple’s wallets.
Dennis and Norma Woodruff Were Killed By Their Son
The initial investigation into Dennis and Norma’s murders was relatively slow as the police had almost no leads to work on. The crime scene did not provide a lot of evidence, and even though the police tried creating a list of suspects after sitting through multiple interviews, most were ruled out after further investigation. Interestingly, through their investigation, law enforcement officials learned that Dennis and Norma’s son, Brandon, was the last person to see them alive. However, when questioned, Brandon insisted that he had nothing to do with the murder.
Moreover, he stated that he shared a pizza with his parents on the night of the murder before leaving for their Heath home prior to returning to Abilene Christian University at 8 pm. However, the police soon began doubting Brandon’s statement as one of his friends, Robert Martinez, mentioned that although he was supposed to pick him up on the night of the murder, he didn’t turn up on time. Besides, Robert also stated that when he came across Brandon, the latter was not wearing a shirt or shoes, which was quite unusual.
Detectives were also able to find evidence that made them believe that Brandon was lying about his whereabouts on the night of October 16. Not only did his timeline not make sense, but his whereabouts were unclear too. Thus, confident of their investigation, especially as they learned he was in possession of his mother’s truck and parents’ debit card, the police arrested Brandon. However, the most significant piece of information presented itself in 2008, when Norma’s sister, Linda Matthews, found an old dagger among the family’s possessions.
The police speculated that this blade might have been used in the murder and immediately sent it in for testing. Once the results came back, it was confirmed that a skull at the base of the dagger contained blood which was a perfect match to Dennis Woodruff’s DNA. It is also imperative to note that Brandon’s then-girlfriend’s mother, Michelle Lee, had already informed officers that one of their antique pistols and its live ammunition was missing from their home. A forensic analysis of this gun’s cover and remaining rounds confirmed that it was the same kind used in the Woodruffs killing. This evidence went a long way toward Brandon’s ultimate conviction as he was found guilty of two counts of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2009.
Read More: Where is Brandon Dale Woodruff Now?
