Mississippi v. Luke Woodham
Woodham: Demons and Breakup with Girlfriend Caused Shooting
HATTIESBURG, MISS., June 11 -- School shooting defendant Luke Woodham took the stand against the advice of his attorneys and told the court that his rampage was driven by his anger over the breakup with his girlfriend and shooting victim, Christina Menefee.
"I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep...I didn't want to live," a sobbing Woodham testified. "It just wasn't fair. She [Christina] didn't love me."
Woodham also told jurors about his involvement with demons and that he and an older friend of his had conjured spells with demons. He said that he believed, despite the beliefs of others, that he could send demons to carry out acts and talked about feeling a sense of power with demons. According to Woodham, he has witnessed the power of demons and seen them act.
Before Woodham took the stand, prosecutors rested its case, but not before showing jurors his videotaped confession to police. In the videotape, which was given one hour after the shooting, Woodham tells police that anger motivated his shooting rampage and that he was fully aware of his actions.
"I'm not insane. I knew what I was doing," Woodham told police. "It's been building up for some time now, and no one at school likes me...The world is going to hear from me now. I'm probably going to be very famous."
In the confession, Woodham also says that he was still in love with his ex-girlfriend; he had wanted to kill her previously but thought that it was not the "right thing to do."
Until the videotape was played, Woodham was composed and had stared directly at every witness who came to the stand. But once prosecutors started playing the tape, Woodham refused to look and the video. By the end of the tape, Woodham was sobbing loudly in the courtroom.
Woodham's defense attempted to prove that he was insane through the testimony of a forensic psychologist, Dr. Michael Jepsen. This witness said that he believed that Woodham suffers from a personality disorder and that despite his confession, he was insane and not aware of his actions at the time of the shooting. (This defense failed Woodham during his trial last week for his mother's murder. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.) Defense lawyers also called Grant Boyette, the leader of Woodham's cult group "The Kroth" whom they believed strongly encouraged Woodham to go on his shooting spree. However, Boyette took the Fifth Amendment because he still faces murder conspiracy charges in his own upcoming trial.
Woodham will return to the stand to continue his testimony when court resumes Friday morning. The defense is then expected to rest its case, and then both sides will present closing arguments. The jury could start deliberating by the afternoon.
Reported by Court TV's Helen Lucaitis and Laura Citrin.
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