She Said He Groomed Her So She Killed Him. A Judge Gave Her 45 Years.

A 22-year-old woman said years of alleged sexual abuse and grooming led her to lure a 41-year-old man to her apartment before beating him to death with a hammer. After pleading guilty, she was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

On July 2, 2025, at approximately 3:30 a.m., officers responded to a reported dispute at an apartment complex on Manotak Avenue in Jacksonville, Florida. Upon arrival, they found a man lying outside an apartment with multiple blunt-force injuries to his head and face. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim was identified as 41-year-old Waduta Londrell Woodley.

On July 1, 2025, Jurnee McGrew allegedly sent Woodley a text saying she had been sexually fantasizing about him and regretted treating him poorly before inviting him to her apartment.

On July 2, 2025 by 1:00 a.m., McGrew said Woodley had pressured her to have sex. She said she refused and asked him to leave.

As they moved toward the front entrance, McGrew said she grabbed a hammer and concealed it behind her back.

According to the arrest report, Woodley grabbed McGrew in what investigators described as a non-forceful manner near the doorway. McGrew then began striking him repeatedly with the hammer.

After Woodley was found, investigators discovered a piece of white paper on his chest with the words “PEDO Touches Children” written in green ink.

Officers ordered then-21-year-old Journee Denaisha McGrew out of the apartment, and she complied. According to her arrest report, she asked officers while being detained whether Woodley was still alive.

After obtaining a search warrant, investigators reported finding bloody footprints leading from the front door to the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, officers found a metal hammer in the sink with blood on its handle.

Investigators also recovered blood-covered pink Crocs, a tank top and pants with blood on them, a notebook, loose paper, and a green highlighter.

McGrew was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.

During questioning, McGrew told investigators that Woodley had sexually groomed her beginning when she was 8 years old and had sexually assaulted her multiple times.

McGrew later testified that she lured Woodley to the apartment by making him believe she wanted to have sex, but claimed her intention was to obtain evidence of his alleged abuse rather than kill him.

In December 2025, McGrew changed her plea from not guilty to guilty on charges of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.

During sentencing proceedings in 2026, McGrew testified that she had been diagnosed with psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder before the killing and said she was not in her right mind when Woodley died.

Her mother testified that McGrew had also been diagnosed with schizophrenia disorder and bipolar disorder and had received treatment.

A clinical neuropsychologist who treated McGrew testified that although McGrew retained some understanding at the time of the killing, her judgment, impulse control, threat perception, and ability to reason through the consequences of her actions were significantly diminished.

On July 31, 2026, McGrew’s mother read prepared statements from McGrew’s brothers, who described her as gentle, caring, motivated, and goal-oriented.

Her older brother said McGrew had been passionate about becoming a dental assistant and had struggled with her mental health.

During the sentencing process, prosecutors requested a life sentence, arguing that McGrew had chosen to act as “judge, jury, and executioner” rather than report the alleged abuse to authorities.

The defense asked for a sentence that would eventually allow McGrew to return to society while continuing mental health treatment.

Woodley’s mother also addressed the court and described the impact her son’s death had on their family.

McGrew apologized to Woodley’s family and said she understood that her actions had affected both their family and her own.

On August 17, 2026, now-22-year-old McGrew was sentenced to 45 years in prison for second-degree murder and five years for tampering with evidence.

The sentences were ordered to run concurrently.

McGrew received credit for 411 days already served.