The case centers on a 2025 hammer attack at a Westside apartment complex.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sentencing was postponed Thursday for Journee McGrew, a Jacksonville woman who pleaded guilty to killing Waduta Woodley after saying he groomed and molested her beginning when she was a child.
McGrew, 22, was in court for a sentencing hearing tied to Woodley’s July 2025 death at the Cross Creek Apartment complex on Jacksonville’s Westside. She pleaded guilty in December 2025 to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. The hearing focused on her abuse claims, her mental health history and the evidence police found after the killing.
McGrew told the court she had been diagnosed with psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder before the homicide. She said she had stopped taking medication months earlier because of insurance problems. She testified that she invited Woodley to her apartment but did not plan to have sex with him or kill him. She said she wanted proof of what she said he had done to her.
Police said Woodley was found outside McGrew’s apartment with blunt-force injuries to his head and face. A note on his chest accused him of touching children. Investigators said they found a hammer, bloody shoes, bloody clothing, loose notebook paper and a green highlighter during a search of McGrew’s apartment. McGrew asked officers whether Woodley was still alive while she was being detained, police records said.
In court, McGrew said Woodley had abused her for years and that she had told friends when she was younger but did not tell family members or doctors until adulthood. Prosecutors challenged parts of her account, noting that Woodley had not been charged with child sexual abuse and raising questions about past accusations McGrew made against others.
The hearing also included a statement from Woodley’s mother, who described the pain of losing her only son. McGrew apologized to the family. “I am sorry about what I did,” she said. “I know how much I impacted your family and mine. I’m really sorry for what happened.”
The judge paused the sentencing hearing because the court ran out of time. A follow-up hearing was scheduled for Monday to set the final sentencing date and determine how much more testimony will be heard.
Author note: Last updated May 4, 2026.