Louise Woodward Biography

The well-publicized case, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Louise Woodward, drew intensely emotional discussions about childcare and working women. At its center was an au pair, Louise Woodward, who was born in Elton, England, and at age 18, like many other young European women before her, came to the United States to work. During November 1996, Woodward was hired to care for the two children of Drs. Sunil and Deborah Eappen of Newton, Massachusetts. Three months later, Woodward was arrested for assault and battery on eight-month-old Matthew Eappen. On February 9, 1997, Matthew died at Children's Hospital in Boston. His death was attributed to a fractured skull and underlying subdural hematoma. On March 5, 1997, Woodward was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of first-degree murder and was incarcerated.

Woodward's trial began in the fall of 1997. One of her attorneys was Barry Scheck, who came to prominence during the O.J. Simpson trial. Forensic pathology played a key role in the proceedings. At issue was the age of the child's injury. The prosecution contended that Woodward irked by a cranky and irritable baby, slammed the baby's head against a hard surface and shook him violently for a minute, causing "shaken baby syndrome." Defense experts, including famed forensic pathologist Michael Baden, vigorously refuted the prosecution's testimony, contending that the child's injury was at least three weeks old, was of a less violent nature, and could have occurred at the same time as a previously undetected fracture of the wrist.

A unique twist to the Woodward case was the prosecution's motion to have the jury consider charges of voluntary and involuntary manslaughter in addition to first-degree and second-degree murder charges. Prosecutors' rationale behind this motion was to give jurors the option of convicting Woodward on lesser charges. Believing that Woodward would be vulnerable to conviction with a greater range of charges, the defense team objected to the motion. Judge Hiller Zobel ruled for the defense, leaving the jury with three options: acquittal, conviction of second-degree murder, or conviction of first-degree murder.

In one of the most dramatic courtroom verdicts in recent history, the jury, after deliberating for nearly 30 hours, returned a verdict of guilty of murder in the second degree. With her stunned lawyers looking on, Woodward collapsed into sobs at the defense table. A day after the verdict, Woodward was sentenced to life imprisonment, with the possibility of parole after 15 years.

Subsequently, Woodward's lawyers submitted a three-part motion to the presiding judge, asking him to set aside the verdict and dismiss the case, set aside the verdict and hold a new trial, or reduce the charge to manslaughter. In his memorandum and order of November 7, 1997, Judge Zobel refused to grant Woodward a new trial and denied the defendant's motion for a verdict of "not guilty." Judge Zobel did, however, reduce the verdict from guilty, murder in the second degree to guilty, involuntary manslaughter. Being careful not to criticize the jury's original verdict, the judge invoked the rarely used Rule 25(b)(2), which allows judges to apply ameliorative justice on a case-by-case basis. Designed to be used sparingly, it does not erode established criminal law principles.

Judge Zobel reasoned that the rule "requires a judge to view the entire case with a clear and steady eye." He explained further that the search was not for justice but rather the grave failure of justice. Near the end of his order, Judge Zobel said: "After intensive, cool, calm reflection I am morally certain that allowing this defendant on this evidence to remain convicted of second-degree murder would be a miscarriage of justice." Three days later, the judge sentenced Woodward to time served--279 days. She was set free. Woodward had one more hurdle to jump before she could leave the United States and return home to England. Zobel's order was appealed by prosecutors to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. On June 16, 1998, the court upheld Zobel's reduced sentence. Shortly afterward, Woodward returned home.

Matthew Eappen's parents filed a wrongful death suit against Woodward, which she did not contest. Friends of the former au pair said she did not have the funds to contest the suit. Legal experts speculated further that Woodward believed any judgment against her would be unenforceable in England. Louise Woodward maintained a low profile after she returned to England and pursued a law degree in London. She was barred from profiting from the case by writing a book.