Gun Debated in Woodruff Trial

Michelle Lee said she ammunition which fit the .45-caliber revolver was also found to have been taken from the holster of the weapon on a Monday morning after Woodruff had visited the residence.

Although the gun has never been found, prosecutors have theorized it was used in the killings of Dennis and Norma Woodruff.

Brandon Woodruff has pleaded not guilty to one count of capital murder in connection with the deaths of his parents. He remains in custody at the Hunt County Jail.

Dennis Woodruff was shot and repeatedly stabbed and Norma Woodruff was shot multiple times as they sat together on a sofa inside their residence near Royse City. Their bodies were discovered on the evening of Oct. 18, 2005.

Lee testified for the prosecution Monday, during the third day of Woodruff’s trial in the 354th District Court. Lee said Woodruff had visited Lee’s daughter Morgan the weekend before the murders, bringing with him souvenirs from Abilene Christian University, where he was enrolled as a freshman. The pair also spent time that weekend at the Lee’s home in Poetry.

Lee said on the morning of Monday, Oct. 17, 2005 she saw the holster for the revolver, which usually sat on top of a bookshelf in an exercise room, but did not find the revolver itself.

“There was this big, gaping hole in the holster where there used to be a gun,” Lee said, describing the weapon as, “ ... like a revolver you’d find in an old western movie.”

Prosecutor Adrienne McFarland with the Texas Attorney General’s Office presented the holster during the questioning. Lee said some of the bullets which normally were kept with the holder were also missing.

“I just thought it was weird,” Lee said. “When I looked at some of the loops, they were broken, like somebody had just pulled those bullets out.”

Upon cross-examination, Lee testified she never saw Woodruff with the gun.

Testimony in the case is scheduled to continue Tuesday.