A grand jury indicted two Tennessee men for the 2018 murder of Terry Woodall, a former Army cavalry scout who served two tours in Iraq.
Shawn Wisniewski, 28, and Christopher King, 25, were charged on July 20 with first degree murder, arson, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse.
The indictments alleged that the two men murdered Woodall, who was their roommate at the time, on or about September 18, 2018 in Adamsville, Tennessee. Woodall was 30 years old.
Investigators declined to comment on motive for the crime.
Woodall had recently sought treatment for PTSD at the VA hospital in Memphis, Hardin County Sheriff Johnny Alexander told Military Times.
On May 15, 2019, the county fire department responded to a call at the mobile home where the three men had lived. When firefighters arrived, the structure was engulfed in flames.
The home is believed to be the scene of the murder, and indictments alleged that Wisniewski and King committed arson to “impair its verity, legibility, or availability as evidence.”
Nearly two months later, forensic anthropologists from the University of Tennessee Forensic Anthropology Department, often referred to as the “Body Farm,” excavated the property, Alexander said.
Woodall’s burned and dismembered remains were discovered in a burn pile near the home on July 11, 2019.
Investigators from the Hardin County Sheriff’s Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation came to suspect the two roommates shortly thereafter.
Woodall joined the Army in June 2007 and deployed to Iraq in June 2008 and September 2010 for two 11-month tours.
After leaving the military in December 2011, he re-enlisted in the Army Reserves from 2014-2015, during which time he reached the rank of private first class.
During his time in service, Woodall was awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal with three campaign stars, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and two Overseas Service Ribbons.
Both alleged killers were arrested Monday and are being held on $1 million bond while awaiting arraignment, local news reported.
Harm Venhuizen is an editorial intern at Military Times. He is studying political science and philosophy at Calvin University, where he's also in the Army ROTC program.
