Testimony, Day Seven

We are back in the courtroom this morning. Currently we are waiting on Judge Hamilton to enter the courtroom. The defense will continue its side of the argument. Attorney's Larry Morgan and Alan Mann are trying to keep Jamal Woods from getting the death penalty. We have heard that Jamal Woods might take the stand in his own defense. But from other trials I've covered, that tends to be a decision made at the last minute, depending on how other things in the trial are going.

Wanda Jackson is now on the stand. She is his aunt and lives in Los Angeles.

Jackson took care of Jamal while his mother went to school.

Wanda Jackson says that a very young age, Jamal became exposed to gang activity. That it was just a way of life living in L.A.

Wanda Jackson is now under cross-examination.

Jackson says that in addition to doing drive by shootings, that the gangs in L.A. would also have picnics.

Jamal Woods in on the stand in his own defense.

Woods says he has not seen his father since he was 12. But that when he was 2, his father, Roy Woods, came by his house to say he would not be coming by anymore. Jamal says he didn't understand why.

Jamal Woods says he saw his father again when he was 12 or 13. During that meeting the two got into a fight. His father took a swing at him with a belt. He has not seen his father since.

Woods says he moved around to several schools in L.A. Then the family moved to Mobile. He ended up in Huntsville after enrolling at Alabama A&M University.

Jamal Woods says gangs provided the only father figures he ever had. He says he was fascinated with them.

He says he saw his aunt's boyfriend get shot. He says he also saw a lot of fights. Woods says he also saw drive-by shootings.

He says his uncle became a big influence in his life. His uncle was also a part of a gang. Woods says the uncle told him that boys don't cry and they don't let other people disrespect them.

Woods is now talking about fist fights he got in while in school.

Woods says he enrolled at A&M and wanted to become an attorney one day.

We had a break. Alan Mann is still questioning Jamal Woods. Woods is talking about how his mother taught in the value of money.

He says he was expelled from A&M because of fighting. He and another student got into a fight in a cafeteria on campus.

Woods is now describing how he met his wife Tesia at A&M.

Jamal and Tesia had two sons together.

Woods says he sold drugs. He also used pot to excess. He says that he was forced to sell drugs to support his wife and two sons.

Woods is describing what happened to cause a fight in the Madison County jail, since his arrest. He says while his mother was visiting him, another inmate took off his pants and began to masturbate. He says when the guards would not let him fight the inmate, he began to fight the guards. The guards had to taser Woods to get him under control.

Alan Mann is now asking Jamal Woods about the night of the shooting.

Woods, Chauncey Davis, Brandon Rucker and his wife left their home on Blue Springs and went to TGI Friday's.

Woods says Tank Beavers was disrepecting him inside the restaurant. His wife told him that she only knew Tank Beavers through school. But Woods says he thought maybe the two of them were having some type of relationship.

Woods says Tank Beavers shot him a bird. Beavers was sitting at the bar area of the restaurant. Woods and his party were at table. Woods says either Thurston Turner or Tory Rogers seemed to be encouraging Beavers to continue to try and make contact with Jamal Woods' wife.

Jamal Woods yelled across the restaurant, "you need to turn the F*ck around." Woods says they laughed at him.

Woods says he left the restaurant to go to his car to get an I.D. so he could get a drink. But he noticed that his gun was not under the seat of his car. He says when he realized that the gun wasn't in the car, he went to his apartment and got a 9mm pistol.

Court is in recess for lunch.

Court is back in session. Alan Mann is still questioning his client, Jamal Woods.

Woods says he went to get a gun, just as a precaution and never intended to kill anyone. He says he came back to his table. He says he looked back up at the bar area, and Tank Beavers was still smiling. Woods then asked his wife again, "are you sure there is nothing going on between yall?"

Woods went up to the bar and told Beavers he had no right to be talking to his wife.

He said Beavers stood up, and so did the other people with Beavers, at that point Jamal Woods said he pulled out his pistol and started shooting. He said he didn't care if they had guns or not. It was just three against one.

Woods says at the moment of the shooting everything went in a slow motion. Then as soon as it was over, everything started going fast. After he stopped shooting, he ran out of the restaurant and went and got in his car.

Woods says he went to his apartment and watched the news to see what kind of description they had of him.

Woods says he is sorry for what happened. He apologized to the victims and the family members here in the courtroom. None of the victims or their family looked at Woods while he apologized.

Woods is now being cross-examined.

Woods says he wrote to a girlfriend, Tara Blackmon, while he was in jail. In the letter he told Blackmon that she was just as special as his wife. But Woods said he told her that, so that she would continue to sell his "dope" and get the money to his wife and kids.

Woods wrote in one letter a song to his girlfriend that read something like, "I bet your husband didn't shoot like me. I shot one, I shot two, I shot three."

The prosecution is entering more letters that were written by Jamal Woods to his girlfriend. In the letters he tells Tara Blackmon that she can become Mrs. Woods.

Woods is continuing to be cross examined. He says he wasn't thinking when he shot.

Jamal Woods has finished his testimony.