Woodruff Cell Records Tracked
By: Brad Kellar, Herald-Banner Staff
Updated: March 11, 2009
Jurors in the capital murder trial of Brandon Dale Woodruff heard Wednesday afternoon from U.S. Deputy Marshal Kurt King, who testified he was able to track the defendant’s movements on the night his parents were murdered, using the defendant’s cell phone records. King was the final witness to take the stand in the 354th District Court Wednesday, the fifth day of Woodruff’s trial. Woodruff has pleaded not guilty to one count of capital murder in connection with the deaths of his parents, Dennis and Norma Woodruff.
Kurt King, senior inspector with the Marshal’s Electronic Surveillance Unit, said based on calls received from Woodruff’s phone at various cell phone towers, Woodruff was traveling westbound on Interstate 30, east of Lake Ray Hubbard, shortly before 11 p.m. on the night of Oct. 16, 2005, before turning northwest onto Interstate 635, where earlier testimony revealed he met up with a man whom he planned to drive back to Abilene Christian University, where he was enrolled as a freshman. King said his investigation didn’t show Woodruff making any calls from his phone between 3:07 a.m. and 10:46 p.m. that day. Under cross-examination, King said it was possible Woodruff made calls which were not included on the records he examined.
Prosecutors have alleged Woodruff shot and stabbed his mother and father inside their home near Royse City sometime after 9 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2005. Their bodies were found in the residence two days later.
Prosecutors have been attempting to create a timeline for Woodruff’s whereabouts on the night of the murders. The couple were in the process of moving from their home in Heath to the Royse City home.
Randall Lunz, who lived next door to the Woodruff’s Heath residence and had agreed to watch over the home, testified Wednesday that on the night of Oct. 16, 2005 he was preparing to go to bed at around 10 p.m. when he heard a vehicle pull into the Woodruff’s driveway. Lunz said he looked out a window to see what was going on.
“I saw Brandon standing by the garage door,” Lunz said. “I was kind of surprised to see him.”
Lunz said once he realized it was the defendant he went back to bed. The next morning he noticed something else. “Instead of Norma’s truck pulled in its usual space, Brandon’s was there in its place and Norma’s truck was gone,” Lunz said.
Lunz said he contacted the Texas Rangers about the incident after hearing of the murders. He was asked whether he had ever seen the defendant driving his mother’s Chevrolet pickup.
“To my knowledge, no,” Lunz said. “Norma was pretty particular about the truck.”
