On the morning of October 1, 1997, in Pearl, Mississippi, the life of 17-year-old Lydia Kaye Dew was tragically cut short in a school shooting. A fellow student, 16-year-old Luke Woodham, was responsible for her death. Earlier that morning, Woodham had fatally stabbed and bludgeoned his mother, Mary Ann Woodham, at their home before driving to Pearl High School armed with a rifle concealed under a trench coat.
Upon his arrival at the school, Woodham opened fire, killing Lydia Kaye Dew
and his 16-year-old former girlfriend, Christina Menefee. Seven other students were wounded in the attack. The shooting ended when the school's assistant principal, Joel Myrick, retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and confronted Woodham as he was attempting to flee. Myrick detained him until law enforcement arrived.
Woodham was arrested and subsequently charged with three counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder. During his trial, he claimed to have no memory of the killings. He was found guilty and received three life sentences for the murders of his mother, Lydia, and Christina, in addition to 140 years for the attempted murders. The investigation also revealed that Woodham had given a manifesto to another student, and as a result, several other students were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder, as it was believed they had prior knowledge of Woodham's intentions.
