Teenage member of satanic group sentenced for murders
[June, 1998]
17-year-old Luke Woodham was sentenced to life imprisonment for the stabbing death of his mother, Mary Woodham, in October, 1997. He will face charges later of killing two students and wounding seven others at his high school, the first in a series of such murders in US high schools. During the trial, Woodham testified that he was driven to the murders after seeing and hearing demons, telling him he would be "nothing" if he did not kill. Woodham claims to have been under the influence of the leader of a cultic satanic group of youngsters who investigators say plotted to kill students at the high school. Several of the youth will face conspiracy charges, including leader, 19-year-old Grant Boyette. Woodham testified that Boyette cast spells from a satanic book and assigned demons to group members to ensure they follow his orders.
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