JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville woman who pleaded guilty in the gruesome murder of a 41-year-old man she claimed groomed her from childhood testified in court Thursday ahead of her sentencing.
Journee McGrew, 22, told the court that Waduta Woodley, whom she had known since she was a child, molested her multiple times for years, starting when she was in elementary school.
Woodley’s blood-soaked body was discovered by police in the breezeway of an apartment complex on Jacksonville’s Westside in July 2025.
McGrew was arrested that same day in connection with the discovery and charged with murder and concealing evidence.
McGrew testified she was diagnosed with psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder when she was Baker Acted before the murder.
Watch her full testimony below:
McGrew said she hit Woodley multiple times with a hammer after she lured him to her apartment by saying she wanted to have sex. McGrew said it wasn’t her plan to have sex or to kill Woodley, but instead to collect evidence of his alleged abuse that could be used against him.
“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,” she said in a message to the courtroom.
Woodley’s mother spoke on behalf of her son.
“Everything changed in a second when your only son has been murdered,” his mother said in court. “Yes, this has affected my family, my daughter, my granddaughter [...] We don’t know how to cope.”
When McGrew was asked if she had a message for the family, she responded:
“I am sorry about what I did,” McGrew said in a message to the family. “I know how much I impacted your family and mine. I’m really sorry for what happened.”
According to her arrest report, Jacksonville police were called to the Cross Creek Apartment complex on July 2 about a dispute. When officers arrived, they found Woodley suffering from what appeared to be blunt force trauma to his head and face. Woodley was lying on the ground in front of McGrew’s apartment.
According to the arrest report, Woodley had a white piece of paper on his chest that read, “PEDO Touches Children.” The writing was in green ink from a green highlighter.
Officers ordered McGrew to come out of her apartment, and she complied. As she was being detained, the report said she asked if Woodley was still alive.
After a search warrant was obtained for McGrew’s apartment, police went inside and found bloody footprints leading from the front door to the bathroom.
According to the arrest report, when officers entered McGrew’s bathroom, they found a metal hammer in the sink. Officers discovered blood on the hammer’s handle. The sink drain plug was later found in McGrew’s bedroom. The arrest report states that the liquid found on the drain plug tested positive for blood.
The arrest report also states that police found a pair of pink Crocs slippers covered in blood, along with a tank top and a pair of pants that were also covered in blood. The search also turned up a notebook with loose paper and a green highlighter.
McGrew told investigators that Woodley had been sexually grooming her since she was 8 years old and had sexually assaulted her multiple times, the report said.
The report went on to say that on July 1, she sent Woodley a text, saying that she had been sexually fantasizing about him and regretted treating him poorly. That night, she invited him to her apartment, according to the report.
McGrew told police that by 1 a.m., Woodley pressured her to have sex, which she denied him and asked him to leave. She said as they were leaving the room toward the front entrance, she grabbed a hammer and hid it behind her back.
The report said that when the two got to the front doorway, Woodley grabbed her in a non-forceful manner, and that’s when she began hitting him with the hammer.
Police asked her if she had invited Woodley over with plans to kill him, but her response was redacted from the arrest report.
McGrew originally pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. She later changed her plea to guilty in December 2025.
As for Woodley, News4JAX conducted a criminal background check on him and could not find any criminal offenses related to sexually assaulting or abusing children.
McGrew said she never reported the alleged abuse because she lived with Woodley and feared being kicked out. She also testified she told friends when she was young, but didn’t share with her family or doctors until she was in her 20s.
McGrew was not sentenced Thursday.
The judge decided to postpone the sentencing due to time constraints and set another hearing for Monday to determine the final sentencing date.