Jury gets Michael Woolf case; defendant accused of shooting wife, 2-year-old son

Published: Monday, November 01, 2010, 7:00 PM

MOBILE, Ala. -- Michael Woolf wouldn’t believe his wife’s assurances or a paternity test showing that their toddler was his biological son — thoughts that grew into an obsession, a prosecutor said Monday.

“And so he took care of the situation,” said Mobile County Assistant District Attorney Jo Beth Murphree.

Woolf’s wife and son — Angel and Ayden Woolf — were found shot to death inside their trailer home off Schillinger Road just after midnight, March 5, 2008.

Michael Woolf called 911 to report the shootings, even telling a dispatcher that he’d just killed his family and needed to go to jail, according to testimony.

On Monday, a jury began deliberating capital murder charges against Woolf after more than five days of testimony. After 2? hours, the jury decided to stop and continue again today.

Prosecutors said Woolf questioned whether the boy was his own after learning of his wife’s extramarital affairs, and the boy became an extension of his wife’s betrayal.

Woolf testified in his own defense that he accidentally shot his son during a fight with his wife, then fired a shot at her. The defense has argued he killed his wife in a heat of passion crime, which would constitute the lesser charge of manslaughter.

In closing arguments, defense attorney Greg Evans said Woolf never intended to kill his family — and he argued that the prosecution did not prove otherwise.

“The only person that knows what went on there that night is Michael, and he told you from the witness stand what happened,” Evans said.

Woolf showed little emotion while testifying last week that he was fighting with his wife when he fired a shot behind him to scare her. He said he heard his wife scream, turned around, and saw his young son was struck.

Woolf did not explain on the witness stand why he turned back to his wife and fired a shot at her.

Evans pointed to a psychologist’s testimony that Woolf has an “extremely low IQ,” bipolar disorder and a history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and substance abuse.

He said the defense has brought the “unvarnished truth” in the case, including that despite his problems, Woolf still understood the difference between right and wrong. The defense withdrew a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or mental defect before the jury heard closing arguments.

Murphree told jurors that Woolf is a “self-centered misogynist” with “a very easy temper to trigger.”

“Did he kill Angel first?” she said. “Did he kill Ayden first? Did Angel have to have those few horrible moments of seeing her son shot? Or did Ayden have to see mama be shot?”

Murphree said while it can difficult to believe that a parent would kill his own child, that’s what happened at the Woolf home that night.

“Sometimes the boogie man is not just the shadowy figure across the street,” Murphree said. “Sometimes the boogie man is your own dad.”

The trial is being held in Mobile County Circuit Joseph Johnston’s courtroom.

If the jury finds Woolf guilty of capital murder, the panel would then have to recommend life in prison without parole or the death penalty as punishment.?

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Michael Woolf takes the stand in the trial on the death of the wife, fire wire

MOBILE (Alabama) - Michael Woolf testified today that during a fight with his wife one night, he fired one shot behind him to scare him, heard his cry, then to see his son 2 years, spread on the ground.

"We were all two freaking out," Woolf said, testifying in his own defence in his capital murder trial.

Woolf, 32, is charged with killing 30 Angel Woolf and their son Ayden home Schillinger road remorque.Il called 911 to report the shooting of just after midnight on March 5, 2008. ?

When questioned by his defence counsel why he then killed his wife, Woolf said: "I know."

"I have never hurt my son or any child" Woolf said later. "I would not further reduce Ayden".

Prosecutors said that the father had increased obsessed if Ayden was his biological son after learning his wife had extramarital affairs, and he killed intentionally family tonight here.

The defence argued that the boy fire was accidental and Woolf and then killed his wife in a heat of the moment of passion, which would be the lesser charge of manslaughter.

On the witness stand, Woolf initially appears calm, even though he describes the night, his wife and his son died. As prosecutors questioned, his responses grew more tense.

In the weeks before the shooting, a paternity test has proved more than 99% certainty that Woolf was, in fact, the father of the boy earlier testimony.

Woolf said that he knew Ayden was his son, but he needed proof on paper.

Leaving the test setup, Woolf asked employees to pray for him, according to the testimony of.

"Why did you to pray them for you?", asked the Deputy Prosecutor Jo Beth Murphree.

"Why not?Woolf said."" This is good prier.Il is good to see people pray for you ".".

"Is it because you know that you are at the edge of the murder of your family?"Request Murphree.

"No," Woolf replied.

In the meantime, he said, he pointed to recent infection of the prostate, his wife, extramarital affairs and that his wife had stopped cooking for him.

The night of the shooting, Woolf said, he returned after autour conducting and quit the marijuana.Plus early in the year, he won a 0.38 caliber revolver in Alabama Village drug case, he said.

He has taken up arms firearms in his car and held in his wide trousers to hide neighbours walked into his home, he said.

Once inside, he said, he dropped his pants and took off his shoes - and his wife came screaming from the bedroom.

He said that she grabbed his arm while he held the gun and leads far behind him blow fire.

After the shooting, he said, he could not manage given blood and there quitté.Avant leave, it touches the legs of his son and the boy stopped moving, he said.

In his interrogation Murphree said the revolver was responsible for three bullets, where the gun could take five balles.lorsque police found the weapon to fire, only two had been fired.

She emphasized her chin and cheeks, where Angel and Ayden had been hit, and it was shot for his wife and one for his son.

"Wet you do you?" she said, referring to the third ball and the intent to kill himself after having killed his wife and son.

Woolf has denied that he planned to do this.

Defence should continue to present its case today in the courtroom Mobile County circuit judge Joseph Johnston.

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