Chapter 25 Section 25

On the same Sunday, Elsie Wadward also called the family lawyer and estate administrator Walter Donnington: "I want to protect my two grandchildren, William III and James." "Understood," said Walter, "I will keep the children with you and the property in their names." Looking back, the police investigation at that time was actually very careful and serious. They examined the body, checked fingerprints, recorded statements, and interviewed hundreds of witnesses. Days of grand jury hearings to decide whether to file charges. This is an open hearing to the media.During the process, more than 10 police witnesses presented to the court such as ammunition trace reports, ammunition residue reports, gun inspection reports, autopsy reports, injury examination reports, fingerprint reports, blood stain reports, blood test reports, etc., and presented more than 150 police witnesses. A photo of the scene and corpse from various angles, distances, and lighting effects, showing dozens of physical evidence, including Yanni's sleeping pills, Churchill's lightweight rifle, and two bullets taken from William's body.

After that, there were more than 10 witnesses who attended Mrs. Baker's dinner.According to the narrative in the New York Times report—— Pianist Stan Freeman said that he heard William Woodward mention the thief repeatedly at the banquet... Dee Dee Schafer told the court that Jenny always said she had no friends in this world, "My only friend is my dearest husband." "I really don't know what I would do or say without William, How should I live." Harry Evans looked relaxed and kept winking at the ladies in the gallery.He said: "At the banquet that day, you could not have found a more intimate and suitable couple than Jenny and William...they were both full of energy and spirits from beginning to end...William told me about the thief and said he would With the gun on him, I thought he was joking."

………… Of all these witnesses only Dee Dee Shaffer had a crush on Jenny Odwald, but all of these witnesses swore to the grand jury that the Oddwas had a happy marriage and a happy family...   After that, it was the servants of the Odwa family.Nightwatchman Steven Smith described Mrs Woodward's cries for help as having "heartfelt anguish and unmistakable sorrow". Billy Bincrot said: "I picked up William III and James... I asked them if your parents had a fight yesterday, and the two cousins ​​replied that uncles and aunts never quarrel." Billy's mother, Edith Woodward Bincrot, also defended her sister-in-law when she testified. A reporter said: "That kind of natural affection, even with obvious partiality, made many The jurors and bystanders were moved."

At 4:45 p.m., Jenny Odward appeared in court. Jimmy O'Neill of "News Today" wrote in his report: "Wearing a black gauze and a black dress and a plain dress without makeup, Mrs. Woodward is still a fashion icon." Jenny choked on the witness stand Weeping, sobbing, breathing weakly, may collapse at any time.Every sentence in Yanni's narration was filled with tears, and she couldn't finish it all at once. The lawyer had to repeat every sentence loudly to everyone.Speaking of the 31st minute, Yanni really collapsed and fainted on the spot. The 22 grand jurors were deeply moved by Yan Ni, and it took less than half an hour to make a ruling of "insufficient evidence, no prosecution".

Afterwards, Elsie, the old Mrs. Odwa, said to a confidant: "Don't these people understand that she is acting." No one in the hearing mentioned William Woodward's many affairs and his trip to Pittsburgh A month later, on Christmas Day 1955, Elsie Wadward said frankly to her daughter-in-law: "Forgive us for not being able to invite you to spend Christmas with us. In fact, no matter how hard I try, I cannot tolerate a man who kills me. The one who has only one son, so please, Yanni, disappear from my eyes... I am over seventy years old, I just want to go through the last journey of my life quietly, and you will fulfill me, okay? ?...I talked to Walter Donnington, and if you can live in Europe for a few years until I die, the Odwards will pay you $500,000 a year..."