Tyrus Woodruff (SC)

The Home Invasion

On July 14, 2015, three armed men got out of a black Dodge Avenger and forced their way into a home in Spartanburg, South Carolina.  A fourth accomplice waited in the getaway car.  Once inside, the men ordered the three occupants to get on the floor, shot one of them twice, took wallets and an iPhone, and ransacked the home looking for drugs and money.

The Arrest

The stolen iPhone was tracked to another residence within an hour of the home invasion, and the police surrounded the home.  The black Avenger was found parked outside.  Four men were found in the residence along with the victims’ wallets and iPhone.  Despite Mr. Woodruff explaining that he had only just arrived at the home after the other three had arrived, he was nevertheless arrested.  Mr. Woodruff’s prints were not found on or in the getaway car. It wasn’t until a year later that victims identified him as a suspect when police used an old photograph of him with dreads, even though he did not have dreads at the time of the incident.

The Trail

Still professing his innocence, Mr. Woodruff went to trial on February 21, 2017.  Faced with the possibility of consecutive sentences that could result in his never being released from prison alive, and under intense pressure from his appointed counsel to accept a plea deal for an overall twenty-five-year sentence, Mr. Woodruff entered a guilty plea on the second day of trial.  His co-defendants also entered guilty pleas.

Center Involvement

Based upon Mr. Woodruff’s 2023 application and request for assistance, the Center has been investigating his ongoing claim of actual innocence.  To date, new exculpatory evidence has been found that supports Mr. Woodruff’s innocence claim.  At present, the investigation is ongoing; however, based on the findings to date, the Center anticipates completing its investigation and filing a motion for a hearing on Woodruff’s behalf soon. 

The work on this case was funded in part by a grant from the SC Bar Foundation.