Luke Woodham

Luke Woodham (born February 5, 1981) is an American high school junior and convicted mass murderer responsible for the 1997 Pearl High School shooting in which he killed 3 people and injured 7 others.

Luke Woodham was born on February 5, 1981, in Pearl, Mississippi, to Mary Ann Woodham and John P. Woodham. And described as an "adorable toddler" with an active imagination, but by kindergarten, he was somewhat overweight and wore thick glasses, making him an easy target for bullies. His parents divorced when he was eight, and his father became absent from his life. He and his brother were often left without adult supervision, and Woodham felt responsible for the failure of his parents' marriage, leading to deep depression.^[1]

His mother was described as overbearing and verbally abusive. She micro-managed his life, critiqued his appearance, and often used him as a sounding board for her issues. He felt suffocated by her control. He and his older brother did not get along and would often fight, sometimes physically, further contributing to Woodham's difficult home life. He was consistently bullied throughout his school years, starting as early as kindergarten. This intensified in high school, where he was targeted for being overweight and not fighting back. He often resorted to isolation to cope with the taunting. He was a bright student in his early years, but his grades plummeted in high school, and he had to repeat his freshman year, which was a blow to his ego.^[2]

Woodham fatally stabbed and bludgeoned his mother as she prepared for a morning jog.^[3] An autopsy report revealed that she had eleven slash wounds and seven stab wounds, including stab wounds to the heart and lungs.^[4][5] Woodham then drove his mother's Toyota Tercel to Pearl High School. Wearing a trench coat to conceal the rifle he was carrying, Woodham entered the school and gave a manifesto to Justin Sledge. Sledge, realising what was about to occur, gathered some friends and hid in the safety of the library while the shooting took place.^{[6][7][8][9][10]}

Woodham then fatally shot Lydia Kaye Dew and Christina Menefee, his former girlfriend, then went on to wound seven others.^{[11][12][13][14]} The school's assistant principal, Joel Myrick, retrieved a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol from his truck and, spotting Woodham attempting to flee the parking lot after the shooting, shouted for him to stop. Woodham lost control of his vehicle, and Myrick ordered him out of the car at gunpoint and detained him until police arrived at the scene.

Woodham was arrested as he was apprehended by Myrick as he was attempting to flee the school in his car. Myrick held Woodham at gunpoint until police arrived, effectively ending the shooting spree.^[15]

There were separate trials for the murder of Woodham's mother and the school shooting. Woodham's lawyer argued at both trials that Woodham was insane at the time of the killings. Jurors rejected Woodham's insanity defense at his first trial for the murder of his mother, and he was sentenced to life in prison on June 5, 1998. His second trial took place on June 12, and he was found guilty of two counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder, with the jurors once again rejecting the insanity defense. He was given two life sentences for the murders and seven 20-year sentences for his attempted murder convictions.^[16] He is currently serving three life terms plus an additional 140 years in prison. He will be eligible for parole in 2046, when he is 65 years old.

Conspiracy charges against the members of the Kroth who were minors were dropped by Judge Robert Goza "at the request of District Attorney John Kitchens, who said Mississippi's conspiracy law would make proving the accusations difficult."^[17] Grant Boyette, who was 18 at the time, was convicted and sentenced to the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman boot camp for six months and five years of supervised probation.

Less than three days after his last conviction,^[18] Woodham was removed from the Forrest County Jail in Hattiesburg.^[19] On June 15, 1998,^[20] Woodham entered the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) system in the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (CMCF) in Rankin County.^[18] While at CMCF Woodham underwent evaluation so he could be assigned to a permanent facility. Several weeks later, he was moved into the Mississippi State Penitentiary (MSP) in Sunflower County.^[19] In 2010, Woodham made a request to Governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour, asking for clemency;^[21] however, his request was rejected.^[22]

• "Mississippi v. Luke Woodham". Court TV Online.
  • "Woodham Updates (Final conviction)". Court TV Online.
• "Luke Woodham". Mississippi Department of Corrections. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
• Hewitt, Bill. "The Avenger." People. November 3, 1997. Volume 48, No. 18.

32°16′32″N 90°07′53″W / 32.27556°N 90.13139°W / 32.27556; -90.13139