Murder of grandparents Roy and Angie Woodley by their son Phillip Woodley profiled on ID

Investigation Discovery looks at the case of Phillip Woodley, who brutally murdered his own father and stepmother while in a drug-crazed stupor in Fresno, California.

On July 22, 2005, the bodies of grandparents Roy and Angie Woodley were found by Angie’s daughter; they had been stabbed to death in their suburban home. Roy had been stabbed 28 times and Angie 14.

Investigators quickly discovered that Roy’s estranged son, Phillip Woodley, had just recently got back in touch with his father. When interviewed, Woodley admitted to having seen his parents just a couple of days before they were murdered.

The investigation was hampered by a lack of evidence at the crime scene; unfortunately, there were was no DNA evidence and no fingerprints.

Jeffrey Rancour testified against Phillip Woodley

However, police got a break when a friend of Woodley’s, Jeffrey Rancour, admitted to being present when the murders happened and also agreed to testify against his buddy.

Rancour told the cops that he and Woodley had gotten high on methamphetamine while driving to the elderly couple’s home. Woodley had at first demanded that his parents lie down on the floor, he then bound and gagged them. Rancour claims to have been unaware of Woodley’s plan.

Woodley then stabbed his parents while shouting at his father: “You never did anything for me.” Roy responded by saying, “that’s not true; I loved you.”

Further to Rancour’s testimony, Woodley also implicated himself by asking members of his family to lie to the police on his behalf.

The evidence was mostly circumstantial, and Woodley refused to confess, but despite that, prosecutors managed to convince a jury in April 2010 that he was guilty.

Phillip Woodley was subsequently sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. He continues to maintain his innocence, and he launched an appeal the following year, which failed.

Because Rancour agreed to testify against Woodley, he received a reduced sentence of just 18 years for his role in the murders.

More from Investigation Discovery.

Follow the links to read about more murders profiled on ID.

On ID earlier this week, Donald Flagg spotted Debbie Puglisi gardening in her front yard and decided to break into her home and wait for her. When her husband returned home, he murdered him. He then raped and abducted Debbie keeping her captive for five days before she managed to escape.

Margarita Fisenko Scott was murdered by her drug-dealing boyfriend, Anthony Pratt Jr, in Portland, Maine. Her estranged husband thought she’d run away to New York until he found her corpse stuffed into an SUV.

Fingernail in the Coffin airs at 8/7c on Investigation Discovery.