The Murders of Gerald and Vera Woodman
For this case, I watched an episode of Evil Kin. It’s season 4 episode 6, titled ‘Like Father, Like Sons.’
A once popular businessman, and his wife, are killed in a wealthy suburb.
Background
Gerald Woodman was a very successful businessman. He had started and sold several businesses. He and his wife Vera, had a happy marriage, and together they had 5 kids.
Gerald was known to be hard on his sons, but treated his daughters like princesses. His oldest sons, Neil and Stewart, resented him, and their bond became stronger.
Gerald and Vera seemed to have a great marriage, but Gerald hid many secrets. He was controlling, had many affairs, and had a possible gambling addiction. Through everything, Vera stood by him, and reminded all of her kids that their father loved them.
Gerald and Vera Woodman
Father vs. Sons
In 1965, Gerald started a new business manufacturing ceiling panels. He enlisted Neil and Stewart to help him, where they became the vice presidents.
They soon felt pressure to impress their dad. Gerald was still strict, and Stewart was upset about how they were treated in a professional setting.
In the 1970’s, the business was doing very well. Gerald was teaching them how to embezzle money from the bank they worked with, as well as their clients. Neil and Stewart became very obsessed with money, and had to have it no matter what.
In 1978, Gerald suffered a heart attack, but survived. Neil and Stewart then took this as a way to get their dad out of the company. They tried to tell Vera to convince Gerald to retire. Gerald caught onto this, and was outraged. Gerald hired his youngest son Wayne to join the company, which angered Neil and Stewart.
Neil and Stewart began a legal battle against their father. They took him to court and won. Gerald and Wayne tried to start a rival company, but failed. Neil and Stewart were also in major debt, and once again were going to do anything they could to get their hands on some money.
The Murders
On September 25, 1985, Gerald and Vera returned home from their Yom Kappur dinner, around 10:30pm. They were ambushed in their vehicle, and shot by what a neighbor described as a ninja.
Detective Jack Holder and Richard Crostley, of the L.A.P.D, arrived at the scene. Gerald had been shot in the back of the head and chest, and was found slumped over the steering wheel. Vera had been shot three times in the chest, and was half out of the vehicle, as if she had tried to escape.
The police immediately knew that the attack was probably personal, as none of the couple’s personal items were stolen.
A trail of mud was found near the vehicle. They were prints from someone who had been barefoot, and who had large feet. The police soon discovered that they were from a neighbor, who had attempted to chase the suspects. He had been watching TV, when he heard gun shots. He then called 911 after he couldn’t catch up to the killer(s).
The Theories
The police had to tell the Woodman family about their parents deaths. Stewart had been so upset, that he thought he was going to have a heart attack.
Neil and Stewart came up with possible theories about why they were killed. One theory had been that they were killed by a Neo-Nazi group because they were Jewish.
The police searched Gerald and Vera’s condo, and had an unexpected visitor show up. Vera’s younger sister told the police that she had a feeling that Neil and Stewart were involved.
The police reached out the brothers, who of course denied being involved. They also had airtight alibis, they had been at home celebrating Yom Kippur. Stewart brought up another possible theory. He said that his dad had a gambling addiction, and could have owed someone money.
For the time being, the brothers were released, and the possible theories were also all ruled out.
The Tip That Changed Everything
After several weeks of investigation, the police received a tip from a retired L.A.P.D officer. He told them that he had been hired to do security at a bar mitzvah by a man named Steven Homick. Steven’s boss was none other than Neil Woodman, who wanted his parents kept away from Neil’s son’s bar mitzvah.
Steven’s background was searched. Steven had a younger brother named Robert, and he had once been an L.A.P.D patrolman, who had been fired due to excessive force.
Steven and Robert spent time with two ex-cons named Anthony Majoy and Mike Dominguez.
On October 14, 1985, the police learned that Neil and Stewart’s motive for killing their parents, was the $50,000 life insurance policy that Gerald had taken out on Vera through the company. After he left the company, he tried to cancel the insurance policy, but was told that the company was still running, so it couldn’t be canceled. Gerald and Vera went to court, but lost.
The Murder Plot
The police gathered evidence over the next few months. Through phone records, the police were able to connect the Homick brothers to the Woodman brothers.
The police also had evidence that Mike Dominguez and Steven Homick had flown to Los Angeles, and had arrived the afternoon of the murder. They then flew back to Las Vegas the next morning.
On March 11, 1985, Neil, Stewart, Steven, Robert, Anthony, and Mike were all arrested.
The prosecution offered all the suspects a deal: confess, and have the death penalty taken off the table. Only Mike Dominguez and Stewart Woodman took the deal.
They revealed that the plan had started in Las Vegas. Neil hired Steven Homick to do security, and also revealed that they wanted their parents dead. The Woodman’s offered to pay Steven. A week after they received the life insurance policy, $28,000 was wired to Robert Homick from Neil.
Neil and Stewart told them that Yum Kappur was the perfect day to kill their parents. Steven and Anthony were the “ninjas.” They went into the underground parking garage to wait for the signal from Mike, who was down the street waiting for the Woodman’s car to pass him. Robert Homick was the getaway driver, and had actually been seen by a neighbor in front of the condo.
The Convictions
All suspects were convicted of the crime.
Mike Dominguez, Robert Homick, Anthony Majoy, and Neil and Stewart Woodman, were all sentenced to life in prison.
Steven Homick was sentenced to death. He died in prison in November 2014 from natural causes.
Stewart Woodman died from diabetes on October 5, 2014.
Neil and Stewart Woodman
Steven Homick
Robert Homick
*I couldn’t find any photos of Dominguez and Majoy, but you can see them on the episode of Evil Kin.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Regardless of the family dynamic, these two people didn’t deserve to have their lives taken away. This case reminds me a lot of the Menendez case, and there are quite a lot of similarities. How they also convinced 4 other people to agree and to ruin their lives in the process is beyond me. They must have been very good at convincing everyone that their dad was evil, or the other 4 men didn't care about committing crimes.
Sources
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-07-02-me-4819-story.html
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-01-23-me-27775-story.html
https://apnews.com/article/557a9a53893d16397a5d24dec581bdd5
https://patch.com/california/brentwood/ex-cop-who-killed-brentwood-couple-1985-dies-san-quentin-0
https://scocal.stanford.edu/opinion/people-v-homick-34177
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Gerald_and_Vera_Woodman
