Fort Worth, TX

By MELODY McDONALD
Star-Telegram staff writer

FORT WORTH - Vol Thompson was just 14 when a man collecting cans found his mother’s body hidden under some wood in east Fort Worth.

For years, he and his baby brother, Joshua, have known in their hearts who killed her.

And last week, more than 17 years after their mother’s death, prosecutors proved it.

Bobby Earl Woods — Joshua Thompson’s father — was sentenced to 50 years in prison Monday for the June 1990 murder of 29-year-old Jane Thompson.

“I think my mom would be extremely proud of me and my brother,” said Vol Thompson, who spoke on behalf of the family. “We vowed to each other that we would see this to the end. We knew it was going to be an uphill journey.”

Jane Thompson, a registered nurse who had just graduated from college, was last seen alive June 5, 1990, riding in a car Woods was driving. Joshua, then 2, was with them.

Later that night, Woods called Thompson’s mother to report that she was missing.

When relatives later asked Joshua what happened, he replied, “Daddy hit Mama,” police have said.

The family called police and, on June 7, 1990, Woods told investigators he dropped Thompson off at a check cashing business on East Seminary Drive and went to get gas. When he returned, she was gone, Woods said.

Two days later, her body was found in the 8100 block of Sartain Drive.

For 15 years, Vol and Joshua Thompson, who were raised by their grandparents, went on with their lives, both becoming notable athletes at Dunbar High School.

Still, their mother’s death was never far from their thoughts.

Vol Thompson said the entire family has always believed that Woods was responsible, but police never made an arrest.

“We knew it was him,” Vol Thompson said. “There was no doubt about it. My brother’s story never changed.”

Then, in 2005, Vol Thompson was reading a list of unsolved homicides on the Fort Worth Police Department’s Web site and noticed that his mother’s name was missing. He called his younger brother and told him that he was going to try and have the case reopened in hopes of getting Woods arrested.

“That was his dad, of course,” Vol Thompson said. “But he said I had his support, 100 percent. I called the police station.”

Thompson talked to Detective Manny Reyes, who investigates cold cases. Reyes reviewed the case and promised to look into it.

Reyes talked to witnesses, including Woods’ nephew, who said Woods confessed that he had hit Jane Thompson on the head with a shotgun.Woods, now 47, was arrested in February 2006 and gave officials a different story about what happened, telling police, among other things, that he had dropped Jane Thompson off at a fashion boutique.

“He gave a statement that was dramatically different than what he had earlier given to police,” said Assistant District Attorney Kevin Rousseau, who prosecuted Woods with Rainey Webb. Jurors deliberated about five hours Friday before convicting Woods of murder.

During the punishment phase of the trial, jurors were told that Woods was sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication in 1991 for robbing two convenience stores in the days before Jane Thompson’s death. They also heard that he was a crack addict who had been abusive to another former girlfriend, once breaking her collarbone, Rousseau said.

Jurors deliberated about two hours Monday before assessing the 50-year prison term.

Vol Thompson, who ran track and graduated from Texas Southern University, is now 31 and married with a young son. He works in the data department for Sprint Nextel and is writing a book about his mother.

Joshua Thompson is 19 and earned an academic scholarship to attend Texas A&M University, where he plays strong safety and cornerback.

After sentencing, several family members addressed Woods in court, telling him how Jane Thompson’s murder altered their lives.

When it was Joshua Thompson’s turn, witnesses said he demanded that his father look at him.

“He said, ‘Would you please look at me,’” Vol Thompson recalled. “‘Bobby, would you please look at me.’”

When Woods raised his head, Joshua said only nine words before returning to his seat — words that brought many in the courtroom to tears:

“He said, ‘I want you to know that I forgive you.’”
Melody McDonald, 817-390-7386
mjmcdonald@star-telegram.com