In the quiet town of Moultrie, Georgia, a horrific scene unfolded on November 8, 2004, forever altering the lives of a local family. Katrina Darlene Watts Resendez, a 29-year-old female, was found murdered in her home in what investigators would later describe as an execution-style slaying. The tragedy, however, did not end with her alone. Also found dead were her husband, 25-year-old Jaime Cruz Resendez, their 3-year-old son Juan Carlos Resendez, Katrina's 50-year-old mother, Betty Faye Watts, and the family's housekeeper, 30-year-old Liliana Alegria Aguilar. The gruesome discovery was made by four school-aged children from the household when they returned home that afternoon.
The investigation into the quintuple homicide revealed a dark connection to a drug trafficking ring. Authorities stated that the motive for the killings was related to drugs and money, with Jaime Resendez being the link to these illicit activities. It was reported that he and his wife had been cooperating with drug agents after a previous arrest involving a significant amount of marijuana, and their information had led to arrests in Texas. The brutality of the crime was evident; Katrina Resendez and the housekeeper had been bound. Autopsies confirmed that all five victims died from gunshot wounds. Katrina and her husband each suffered multiple fatal shots.
The path to justice was long and complex, leading to the arrests of three individuals. Jerry Johnny Thompson, Wilma Ann Yvonne Stover, and Alexander Woods III were charged in connection with the murders. Thompson ultimately pleaded guilty to five counts of felony murder in November 2011. As part of a plea agreement, he testified against his co-defendant, Alexander Woods. Thompson detailed his involvement in a marijuana trafficking operation with Jaime Resendez and claimed he sent Woods and another man, Anthony Davis, to the Resendez home to settle a large debt with a supplier. Thompson alleged that upon his arrival at the residence, he found the family already deceased. Davis himself was found shot to death in a neighboring county in January 2005.
Alexander Woods III stood trial in May 2013 and was convicted on all 15 counts against him, which included five counts of malice murder, five counts of felony murder, and five counts of aggravated assault. He was subsequently sentenced to five consecutive life terms in prison. The third suspect, Wilma Ann Yvonne Stover, was charged separately, and prosecutors did not seek the death penalty in her case. The resolution of the case brought a measure of closure to a community shaken by the vicious and calculated nature of the killings.
