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Testimony: Mississippi teen admitted killing mother

Woodham on Tuesday
Woodham on Tuesday   
June 2, 1998
Web posted at: 3:28 p.m. EDT (1928 GMT)

PHILADELPHIA, Mississippi (CNN) -- Luke Woodham fatally stabbed his mother with a butcher knife and beat her with an aluminum baseball bat only hours before he allegedly began gunning down classmates at his high school, prosecutors said Tuesday.

"The state contends beyond a reasonable doubt that Woodham did cold-bloodedly murder his mother that fateful morning," District Attorney John Kitchens told jurors before calling witnesses in the 17-year-old's murder trial.

A second jury will be chosen next week next week to hear evidence against Woodham in the October 1 shooting rampage at Pearl High School that left two classmates dead and seven students wounded.

During Tuesday's testimony one witness said Woodham admitted stabbing 50-year-old Mary Woodham shortly after his arrest when investigators asked how he got cuts on his hands.

"How did you cut yourself?" Pearl, Mississippi, police investigator Roy Dampier recalled asking the 17-year-old. "Killing my mom," Dampier said Woodham replied.

Dampier said Woodham showed no emotion or nervousness at the time.

Defense lawyers said they would not address the jury until they opened their case after the prosecution rests. The trial is expected to last about a week.

Attorneys for Woodham previously have said their client was influenced by 19-year- old Grant Boyette, the alleged ringleader of a group of teen-agers authorities said plotted the murders of Pearl classmates.

Correspondent Brian Cabell contributed to this report.

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