Billy Woodward of Titusville, Florida got into an epic fight with three of his neighbors. They fought not about money or a woman but chickens. Woodward was raising about 20 chickens in his backyard but after a neighbor complained about the chickens, Woodward was forced to get rid of them. The feud escalated from a war of words to taunts and threats and ended in a deadly confrontation on Labor Day 2012. Woodward, who served in the first Gulf War, said what he did wasn’t murder but “killing the enemy.” He gunned them down in their own backyard. Two of the three were killed.
[Bruce Blake, Billy Woodward Neighbor, Survivor, Admits To Baiting]
Was it a cold-blooded killing spree or did Woodward “stand his ground”? A Brevard County judge denied Woodward’s “stand your ground” claim and charged him with murdering Gary Hembree and Roger Picior. Woodward is also charged in the attempted murder of Bruce Blake. The Stand Your Ground law requires a defendant to prove that he was in “fear for his life and had to protect himself from an unlawful, forcible act.” According to testimony, Woodward stood over his wounded victims and executed them with shots to the head. 20/20 will discuss the “Stand Your Ground” law on August 7 at 10pm on ABC.
