A Florida woman who admits to bludgeoning a man to death with a metal hammer claims she was driven by years of sexual abuse that began when she was still in elementary school.
Journee McGrew, 22, now faces an August sentencing date after pleading guilty to killing 41-year-old Waduta Londrell Woodley on July 2, 2025, in Jacksonville, Florida. According to The Blaze, prosecutors say McGrew hunted down Woodley and executed a personal form of justice, while the defense has portrayed her as a deeply traumatized young woman suffering from psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder.
I really wasn't in my right mind when this happened. I'm not violent, and I'm sorry for this situation, McGrew told the court, insisting she never intended to kill Woodley. She testified that Woodley had molested her for years before she left him in a pool of blood in the breezeway of an apartment complex, where police later found him with severe blunt force trauma to his head and face.
Officers discovered a chilling message taped to Woodleys chest on a piece of paper that read, PEDO Touches Children. Investigators said they followed a trail to McGrews apartment, where she answered the door and officers observed bloody footprints and recovered the blood-covered hammer used in the attack.
McGrew told the court that her original plan was to lure Woodley into her apartment by pretending to want sex so she could gather evidence of his alleged abuse. She insisted she did not intend to kill him, repeating, This was not supposed to happen. I really wasn't in my right mind when this happened. I'm not violent, and I'm sorry for this situation.
Woodleys family, however, painted a starkly different picture of the man McGrew labeled a predator. His mother testified that her life was shattered by the killing, saying, Everything changed in a second when your only son has been murdered, and adding, Yes, this has affected my family, my daughter, my granddaughter. ... We don't know how to cope.
McGrew also testified that she had been diagnosed with psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder prior to the killing, conditions her defense team has used to argue for leniency. She initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but reversed course in December 2025, entering a guilty plea as the state moved forward with a recommendation of life in prison.
Prosecutors framed McGrews actions as a dangerous assault on the rule of law, warning of the consequences when individuals bypass the justice system. McGrew decided last year to be judge, jury, and executioner, the state argued, adding, She decided she was going to take the law into her own hands. She decided to be a vigilante, to be retaliatory and to impose a sentence.
Local outlet WJXT-TV reported that Woodley had no criminal history involving sexual assault or crimes against children, underscoring the absence of any prior legal findings to support McGrews allegations. McGrews own mugshot, which shows her smiling broadly after her arrest, has further fueled public debate over whether she is a traumatized victim, a remorseless killer, or both.
When asked in court if she had anything to say to Woodleys family, McGrew offered a brief apology. 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.
No one has publicly submitted an obituary tribute for Woodley, leaving the funeral home staff to plant a tree in his memory. As President Trumps second administration continues to emphasize law and order and the importance of due process over mob-style retribution, this case stands as a stark reminder of what happens when allegations of evil are answered not with evidence and prosecution, but with personal vengeance and a hammer.
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