Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Woodham seeks chance at parole.

Luke Woodham.  The mere  mention of the name recalls one of the worst nightmares that ever took place in Mississippi.  Nearly twenty years have passed since that bloody October day, but no one who was alive then has forgotten its horror.  Woodham is trying to get a chance at parole.  Woodham might actually get to be eligible for parole thanks to a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling.  

The 16 year-old Woodham stabbed his mother to death  on October 1, 1997.  He left his house, went to school, and proceeded to engage in a shooting spree that killed two fellow students and wounded seven others.   He was sentenced to life in prison without parole for simple murder and twenty years in prison for  aggravated assault.  The case was closed and it was hoped Woodham would not be heard from again as he lived the rest of his life behind bars.



However, the  U.S. Supreme Court had other ideas about mandatory sentences of life without parole for juvenile killers.  The Court struck down such sentences in Miller v. Alabama (2012). Woodham filed a motion for post conviction relief in Rankin County Circuit Court on June 11, 2015.  The U.S. Supreme Court stated on its blog that Miller* held:
The Eighth Amendment prohibits a sentencing scheme that requires life in prison without the possibility of parole for juvenile homicide offenders. Link to SCOTUS blog and opinion.
Woodham argued that the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled in Parker v. State (2013) that "Mississippi's statutory sentencing scheme for murder unconstitutionally mandates a sentence that is 'tantamount to life without parole' and thus violates the United States Supreme Court's holding in Miller v. Alabama when it is applied to juvenile offenders."

The motion asks the court to resentence Woodham to "life with eligibility for parole".  Miller retroactively applies to Woodham's case since he was a juvenile when he committed his crimes.  Mr. Fortner then makes several arguments about the immaturity of juveniles and how life without parole prevents them from having the opportunity for rehabilitation.   The motion is posted below.

Mr. Woodham will be immediately eligible to apply for parole if he prevails on his motion, since he served at least ten years of his sentence.  He is represented by Tom Fortner.  Special Circuit Judge Michael Ward will preside over the case.  The state has not yet filed a response.

*Judgment: Reversed and remanded, 5-4, in an opinion by Justice Kagan on June 25, 2012. Justice Breyer filed a concurring opinion, in which Justice Sotomayor joined. Chief Justice Roberts filed a dissenting opinion, in which Justices Scalia, Thomas and Alito joined. Justice Thomas filed a dissenting opinion, in which SCALIA, J., joined. Justice Alito, filed a dissenting opinion, in which Justice Scalia joined.

Kingfish note: This case probably won't see the courtroom for another year.  While Woodham may win the right to ask for parole, it is veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrry doubtful, in fact, almost impossible, that a parole board will ever grant parole.  However, his repeated requests for parole will undoubtedly mean more anguish for the victims and their families. 


27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank God for the teacher/coach who had his own pistol in his car (if I remember correctly) and stopped this fool before he could do any more harm.

Kingfish said...

Yup. Big mistake by Woodham in that he left ammo on car instead of taking it with him. Allowed him to stop Woodham.

Anonymous said...

The guy who stopped him was an assistant principal who was retired Navy Submariner.

Anonymous said...

His name was Joel Myrick. Originally from Laurel, MS.

Anonymous said...

Eligibility for parole is irrelevant. This guy ain't getting paroled. That is all.

Anonymous said...

Grant Boyette and Woodhams other psycho satanist friends have been roaming free amongst us for years.

Anonymous said...

Miller does not abolish life without parole for juveniles, it requires that certain factors of the case and of the defendant be considered by the judge and for the judge to making factual findings to support life without parole or life with parole. I predict he will win a hearing and be allowed to attempt to show he is deserving of life with parole, but I will be shocked if any sane judge could find he deserves any prospect of a shorter sentence.

Anonymous said...

Boyette is married and has a kid.

https://www.facebook.com/grant.boyette.3?fref=ts

Anonymous said...

He'll be out in another 10 years. That's good. He'll be around 46 by then. He will lead a quite live & you'll never hear from him again. This will save taxpayers money from having to warehouse him.
Maybe the state can take some of that savings and put it into mental health programs.

Anonymous said...



"...He will lead a quite live & you'll never hear from him again...."
May 24, 2016 at 1:57 PM

I believe that what you are trying to say is, "He will live a QUIET LIFE".

It's not your fault that you got it wrong. People in Farthest Niknar really do pronounce those words the way you wrote them. You had no way of knowing their pronunciations were so far off, that 'quiet life' sounded like 'quite live'.

The proper, non-niknar pronunciations can be found and HEARD online, now.

Anonymous said...

Everyone deserves a second chance.

Anonymous said...

Watch for the Jerry Mitchell series on how poor unfortunate Woodham has been mistreated by "the system" and deserves his freedom.

Anonymous said...

2:35
Why take up band width to point out a fat-finger typographical error? We all know what 1:57 meant.

By the way, your last sentence is not grammatically correct.

Anonymous said...

There is a zero % chance the judge will grant this motion. Assuming they did, he's merely eligible for parole. He is going nowhere. There are actual cases where this standard is a good one. This ain't one of them.

Anonymous said...

His MDOC listing:

https://www.ms.gov/mdoc/inmate/Search/GetDetails/R4682


I wonder what his state of mind is now. I wonder if he is remorseful.

What a horrible crime that was.

Anonymous said...

3:43

Yes, if he gets 'a second chance', maybe he;ll remember to take his ammo with him and shoot a lot more kids...

Anonymous said...

Definitely deserves to spend his life behind bars at a minimum. Honestly, though, if he was paroled we would probably have less trouble from him than most of the gutter rats our DA is putting back on our streets on a daily basis.

Anonymous said...

I wish you guys could watch his video confession. What an effed up kid. Some of you have questioned whether he had remorse. I don't know what's in a person's heart but it was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. The bullying he endured plus his lack of self esteem/role models in his life probably led him to doing what he did. Ya'll forget what he did to his dog? Sparkles? Google that.

He's not getting out. He will die in jail and rightfully so by the way. He'd kill again. I've looked him in the eye. It's not a pleasant thing. And I'm sort of a "bleeding heart".

Anonymous said...

3:53 Those who are murdered don't get the first chance... and certainly not a second.

Anonymous said...

And the evil Kroth leader, Justin Sledge, lives the life of a graduate student and rabble-rouser in Memphis.

Anonymous said...

Wasn't there some sort of gun charge for Sledge when he was a Millsaps? I can't find much about it online.

Anonymous said...

Sledge and his machine gun
http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/1256380/justin-sledge-sentenced-on-gun-charge

Anonymous said...

IF he were truly 'forgiven' by God, he'd understand that he needs to do the time in jail for justice and mercy to his victims. He should spend the rest of his life praising Jesus and converting as many prisoners to Christ as possible, accepting the fact that he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

He needs to stay behind bars. End of story.

anonymous said...

Sledge was booted out of Millsaps after he was arrested on the firearms charges, but the idiot president, Frances Lucas, let him back in after he'd served his jail time. And of course his naive professors went to bat for him at his sentencing - no surprise there. He had everyone fooled.

He's lucky that cobbled-together submachine gun didn't blow up in his hands.

Anonymous said...

" ...but the idiot president, Frances Lucas, let him back in after he'd served his jail time...." May 25, 2016 at 4:51 PM

Is Frances Lucas related to the Lucas (fitting the same description) who (very briefly, until the locals had had enough) presided over Tulane's Madison campus?

Anonymous said...

Personally I would feel much safer with Woodham getting parole than I feel driving down any city street in our state capital.

Anonymous said...

No, 7:05, two unrelated idiots.



Recent Comments

Search Jackson Jambalaya

Subscribe to JJ's Youtube channel

Archives

Trollfest '09

Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


Note: Security provided by INS.

Trollfest '07

Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

Note: Security provided by INS
.