Bio

David Wayne Woodruff was born on November 19, 1959. He grew up in Oklahoma and had a challenging childhood. Details about his early life are limited, but he was adopted by a family when he was just eighteen months old. It is reported that he experienced difficulties as a child and had some behavioral issues growing up.

As a teenager, Woodruff showed interest in joining the military. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served for a brief period. His military service, however, did not last long, and he left the Marines before his stint was complete. After leaving the military, he struggled to find stable employment.

Woodruff's life took a darker turn as he got older. He was involved in various criminal activities, which included some legal issues that would follow him into adulthood. He began to associate with individuals who had criminal backgrounds, which likely influenced his choices as he grew older.

His life before the crimes that would lead to his notoriety as a serial killer was marked by instability and a lack of positive direction. These early experiences may have contributed to the troubled path he took, leading to his eventual criminal actions in the 1980s, which captured national attention.

Murder Story

David Wayne Woodruff was involved in a series of tragic events that led to the loss of two lives. On October 12, 1985, Woodruff, along with his accomplice John Joseph Romano, murdered jeweler Roger Joel Sarfaty during a robbery. Sarfaty's body was discovered four days later in his apartment, where he had been found bound, beaten, and stabbed multiple times. The investigation revealed that Woodruff and Romano attempted to use a large amount of change, presumably taken from Sarfaty, to purchase a television shortly after the murder, raising suspicion.

The evidence against Woodruff included a circumstantial basis, with no clear alibis for him and Romano during the time of the murder. Witnesses reported their intoxicated behavior and their possession of jewelry, inconsistent with their financial situations. Following Sarfaty's murder, Woodruff and Romano were suspects in another murder case involving Lloyd Thompson in July 1986, where Thompson was also robbed and stabbed multiple times. Both men were convicted of first-degree murder and robbery in relation to Sarfaty's death and received similar sentences.

Woodruff was sentenced to death during the trial for Sarfaty's murder. However, the convictions related to Thompson's murder were initially overturned due to legal errors in the joint trial. Upon retrial for Thompson's murder, Woodruff was sentenced to life imprisonment without the chance of parole, while Romano received another death sentence.

The final outcome of Woodruff's case was his execution by lethal injection on January 31, 2002. His time on death row and the events surrounding his sentencing raised significant discussions about the legal process, the evidence presented, and the decisions made at trial.